Apparel sourcing operations

ABSTRACT

FIALLOS, MAX. Developing a Cost Model for Sourcing Products for Different Distribution Channels. (Under the direction of Dr. Kristin Thoney and Dr. Jeffrey Joines.) Apparel sourcing operations are extremely complex due to the intricacies of a global

supply chain. Sourcing decisions should not be made without an exhaustive analysis

of supply chain cost structures. Landed costs must be analyzed for sourcing

decisions, but they must be complemented by information of the effects of supplier

lead times and consumer-retail interactions, which are critical to overall supply chain

performance. A focus on cost of goods alone gives insufficient importance to the

negative effects related to forecast errors when sourcing from regions with long lead

times.

A supply chain cost model has been developed in this study. The model looks

at cost structures for the entire supply chain from fiber to retail. The cost model

shows the accrual of costs throughout each processing step within the textile and

apparel industry. It also identifies costs related to international trade, including

transportation costs and duties paid upon entry to the United States. The study

examines the supply chain processes and costs for producing t-shirts and denim

jeans in distinct regions of the world. Trade agreement duty provisions, world

cotton market price competitiveness, export tax rebates, and labor rates significantly

affect a countries’ competitiveness in the textile and apparel industry.

The study helps identify the cost makeup of each process and the resources

consumed. This model can assist companies to look outside their area of operation

and have an appreciation of costs related to upstream and/or downstream processes

within their supply chain. They can identify broad issues related to their strategic

partnerships with suppliers and customers and investigate these in more detail. By

combining supply chain costs, transportation time, and manufacturing

responsiveness, analyses can be performed to identify scenarios where

responsiveness is more critical than cost effectiveness. This study has found that a

responsive supply chain can outweigh a lower cost but less responsive supply chain

in certain sourcing environments.

Developing a Cost Model for Sourcing Products for Different Distribution Channels

by Max Eduardo Fiallos

A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of

Master of Science

Textiles

Raleigh, North Carolina

2009

APPROVED BY:

Dr. Kristin A. Thoney, Associate Professor, Textile & Apparel, Technology & Management

Co-Chair of Advisory Committee

Dr. Jeffrey A. Joines, Associate Professor, Textiles Engineering, Chemistry and Science

Co-Chair of Advisory Committee

Dr. Russell E. King, Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Dr. W. Gilbert O’Neal, President, Institute of Textile Technology

ii

DEDICATION

To my wife, Telma. Your support was essential to my academic success. Thank you

for always being there for me when the load seemed overwhelming. This

accomplishment is as much yours as it is mine.

iii

BIOGRAPHY

Max Fiallos was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He graduated from Louisiana State

University in 2002 with an Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

degree. Upon graduation he returned to Honduras and worked in the apparel

industry for five years. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and an ITT

Fellowship in 2007 to attend North Carolina State University. Max will return to

Honduras upon graduation and reintegrate himself within the Honduran textile and

apparel industry.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to Dr. Kristin Thoney, Dr. Jeff Joines, Dr.

Russell King, and Dr. Gilbert O’Neal for their support and guidance throughout this

process.

I also thank the Institute of Textile Technology for the opportunities to interact with

industry, for funding provided to me, and enriching my overall graduate study

experience. I express my thanks to all ITT staff and Patrice Hill in particular. Your

efforts are very much appreciated.

My appreciation is extended to the United States Department of State, The Fulbright

Foreign Student Program, and the American people for the opportunity provided me

to study in the United States.

I enjoyed the everyday tasks of graduate student life thanks in great part to my ITT

classmates. Thank you Ian, JR, Cass, Ed, Ryan, Susan Ada, and Sudhir for making

these two years so enjoyable.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. ix

LIST OF EQUATIONS ........................................................................................... xi 1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Problem Statement .................................................................................... 1

1.2 Research Objectives and Research Value ..................................................... 2

2 Literature Review .......................................................................................... 4

2.1 Supply Chain Management ......................................................................... 4

2.2 Sourcing and Supply Chain Responsiveness ................................................. 6

2.2.1 Traditional Sourcing............................................................................. 9

2.2.2 Quick Response (QR) ........................................................................... 9

2.2.3 Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR®) .......... 12

2.3 Consumer Demand Forecasting, Stockouts and Markdowns ........................ 12

2.4 Costing .................................................................................................... 14

2.4.1 Manufacturing Cost Models ................................................................ 15

2.4.2 Apparel Costing ................................................................................. 15

2.5 Logistics .................................................................................................. 18

2.6 Global Trade ............................................................................................ 19

2.7 Sourcing Simulator™ ................................................................................ 21

3 Methodology ............................................................................................... 26

3.1 Product Selection ..................................................................................... 26

3.2 Supply Chain Routes ................................................................................ 27

3.3 Landed Cost Components ......................................................................... 27

3.4 Sourcing Simulator™ ................................................................................ 28

4 Sourcing Cost Model .................................................................................... 29

4.1 The Textile, Apparel, and Retail Supply Chain ............................................ 30

4.2 Manufacturing Inputs ............................................................................... 32

4.2.1 Labor ................................................................................................ 33

4.2.2 Energy .............................................................................................. 34

4.2.3 Water ............................................................................................... 36

4.2.4 Steam ............................................................................................... 36

4.3 Textile Operations .................................................................................... 38

4.3.1 International Production Cost Comparison........................................... 38

4.3.2 Wet Processing ................................................................................. 60

4.4 Apparel Operations .................................................................................. 75

4.4.1 Fabric and Trims for a T-Shirt ............................................................ 76

4.4.2 Labor for a T-Shirt ............................................................................. 79

vi

4.4.3 Energy for a T-Shirt ........................................................................... 82

4.4.4 Off-quality and Process Yield for a T-Shirt ........................................... 84

4.4.5 Capital Cost for a T-Shirt.................................................................... 85

4.4.6 Export Rebate Taxes for a T-Shirt ...................................................... 87

4.5 Logistics, Trade, and Landed Costs for a T-Shirt ........................................ 88

4.6 Landed Cost for T-Shirts Using Open-End Yarn .......................................... 93

4.7 Apparel Conversion Costs for a Denim Bottom ........................................... 94

4.8 Yarn-Forward vs. Fabric-Forward ............................................................ 105

4.9 Landed Cost for Jeans Using Ring Spun Yarn ........................................... 106

4.10 Discussion of Supply Chain Costs ............................................................ 107

4.11 Retail Operations and Simulations ........................................................... 110

4.11.1 Retail Performance Simulations for T-Shirts ....................................... 110

4.11.2 Retail Performance Simulations for Denim Jeans ............................... 113

5 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 115

6 Future Works ............................................................................................ 118

REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 119

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1: Customer Service Levels Affect Re-Order Lead Times (Lowson, 2003) .... 8

Figure 2.2: Customer Service Levels Affect Supplier Performance (Lowson, 2003) .... 8

Figure 2.3: Customer Service Levels Affects Inventory (Lowson, 2003) ................... 9

Figure 2.4: Changes in Sourcing Practices for Seasonal Products in the UK (adapted from Butler, 2008) ............................................................................................. 10

Figure 4.1 - Textile, Apparel, Retail Supply Chain for T-Shirts ............................... 31

Figure 4.2 - Textile, Apparel, Retail Supply Chain for Denim Bottoms .................... 32

Figure 4.3 - Cotton Prices (ITMF, 2008) ............................................................... 41

Figure 4.4 - Ring Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) .... 42

Figure 4.5 - Ring Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) .................. 43

Figure 4.6 – Open-End Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)......................................................................................................................... 44

Figure 4.7 – Open-End Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ......... 45

Figure 4.8 – Single Jersey Knitting Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ................................................................................................................ 47

Figure 4.9 - Single Jersey Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) .... 48

Figure 4.10 - Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m, excluding Raw Materials for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries ........................................................................................... 51

Figure 4.11 – Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries .... 52

Figure 4.12 - Weaving Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ..... 53

Figure 4.13 - Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ........... 54

Figure 4.14 – Woven Denim-Weight Fabric Total Cost in $ per Meter of Fabric ...... 56

Figure 4.15 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m, excluding Raw Materials for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries ..................................................................................... 59

Figure 4.16 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries 59

Figure 4.17 - Energy Consumption for a Cotton Shirt (adapted from Stegmaier, 2007) ................................................................................................................ 61

Figure 4.18 – Piece Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, Excluding Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals ...................................................................................... 64

Figure 4.19 – Piece Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, Including Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals ............................................................................................ 64

Figure 4.20 - Drying and Compacting Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric ............... 67

Figure 4.21 – Finished Knit Fabric Cost in $/m ..................................................... 68

Figure 4.22 – Rope Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, Excluding Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals ............................................................................................ 71

Figure 4.23 – Rope Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, Including Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals ............................................................................................ 72

viii

Figure 4.24 – Denim Fabric Finishing Costs in $ per Meter .................................... 74

Figure 4.25 – Finished Denim Fabric Costs in $ per Meter ..................................... 75

Figure 4.26 – Fabric Cost per T-Shirt ................................................................... 78

Figure 4.27 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per T-Shirt ...................................... 81

Figure 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt .................................... 84

Figure 4.29 - Comparison of Transportation Costs for 40 ft Containers Assuming Bunker Surcharges are Directly Proportional to Oil Prices ...................................... 91

Figure 4.30 – Fabric Cost per Denim Jean ............................................................ 95

Figure 4.31 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per Denim Jean ............................... 97

Figure 4.32 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per Denim Jean ............................. 99

Figure 4.33 – Denim Jean Dry Processing and Washing Cost .............................. 101

ix

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 - Fully Loaded Hourly Labor Rates ........................................................ 34

Table 4.2 - Electrical Energy Rates ...................................................................... 35

Table 4.3 - Water Rates ..................................................................................... 36

Table 4.4 - No. 6 Residual Fuel Oil Rates ............................................................ 37

Table 4.5 - Steam Rates ..................................................................................... 37

Table 4.6 - Ring Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ...... 42

Table 4.7 - Ring Yarn Total Cost in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ..................... 43

Table 4.8 - Open-End Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)......................................................................................................................... 44

Table 4.9 - Open-End Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ........... 45

Table 4.10 - Single Jersey Knitting Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ................................................................................................................ 46

Table 4.11 - Single Jersey Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ... 47

Table 4.12 - Forty-foot Container Shipping Rates ................................................. 49

Table 4.13 - Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m for all Countries ................................ 51

Table 4.14 - Weaving Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ...... 53

Table 4.15 - Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008) ............ 54

Table 4.16 – Woven Denim-Weight Fabric Total Cost in $ per Meter of Fabric ........ 56

Table 4.17 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m for all Countries ........................... 58

Table 4.18 - Resource Consumption Rates per Pound of Knit Fabric for Piece Dyeing......................................................................................................................... 62

Table 4.19 - Piece Dyeing Costs in $/lb and $/m of Knit Fabric.............................. 63

Table 4.20 - Drying and Compacting Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric ................ 66

Table 4.21 – Finished Knit Fabric Cost in $ per meter ........................................... 68

Table 4.22 – Hourly Resource Consumption Rates for Rope Dyeing ....................... 69

Table 4.23 – Rope Dyeing Costs in $/lb of Warp Yarn and $/m of Woven Fabric .... 71

Table 4.24 – Denim Fabric Finishing Costs in $ per Meter of Fabric ....................... 73

Table 4.25 – Finished Denim Fabric Costs in $ per Meter ...................................... 75

Table 4.26 - Fabric Cost per T-Shirt ..................................................................... 77

Table 4.27 - Trim Requirement and Costs for a Floor-ready T-Shirt ....................... 79

Table 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per T-Shirt ....................................... 81

Table 4.29 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt ..................................... 83

Table 4.30 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per T-Shirt ............................ 85

Table 4.31 – Exit-Factory, Export Tax Rebate, and FOB Values per T-Shirt ............ 88

Table 4.32 – Maritime Transit Times in days and Transportation Costs per T-Shirt . 90

Table 4.33 - Duty Rates for Entry into the United States and Foreign Export Tax Rebates ............................................................................................................. 92

x

Table 4.34 - Landed Cost per T-Shirt ................................................................... 93

Table 4.35 - Landed Cost per T-shirt Using Open-end Yarn ................................... 94

Table 4.36 – Fabric Cost per Denim Jean ............................................................. 95

Table 4.37 – Trim Requirement and Cost for a Floor-Ready Denim Jean ................ 96

Table 4.38 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per Denim Jean ................................ 97

Table 4.39 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per Denim Jean .............................. 99

Table 4.40 – Denim Jean Dry Processing and Washing Costs in $ per Garment .... 100

Table 4.41 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per Denim Jean ................... 102

Table 4.42 – Exit-Factory, Export Tax Rebate, and FOB Values per Denim Jean ... 104

Table 4.43 – Maritime Transit Times in days and Transportation Costs per Denim Jean ................................................................................................................ 104

Table 4.44 – Landed Cost for Denim Jeans ........................................................ 105

Table 4.45 – Yarn-forward and Fabric-forward Garment Costs ............................ 106

Table 4.46 – Jeans Landed Cost Using Ring Spun Yarn ....................................... 106

Table 4.47 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for T-Shirts of Open-End Yarn .. 112

Table 4.48 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for T-Shirts of Ring Spun Yarn .. 112

Table 4.49 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for Denim Jeans of Open-End Yarn....................................................................................................................... 114

Table 4.50 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for Denim Jeans of Ring Spun Yarn....................................................................................................................... 114

xi

LIST OF EQUATIONS

Equation 4.1 – Cost of Steam in $ per kilogram of steam ...................................... 37

Equation 4.2 – Cost of Yarn including Shipping Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric . 49

Equation 4.3 – Cost Calculations for non-ITMF Countries ...................................... 50

Equation 4.4 – Yarn Cost per Meter of Woven Fabric ............................................ 55

Equation 4.5 – Labor Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric .............. 62

Equation 4.6 – Energy Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric ............ 62

Equation 4.7 – Steam Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric ............. 62

Equation 4.8 – Water Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric .............. 63

Equation 4.9 – Chemical and Dye Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric......................................................................................................................... 63

Equation 4.10 – Labor Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric......................................................................................................................... 65

Equation 4.11 – Energy Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric......................................................................................................................... 66

Equation 4.12 – Steam Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric......................................................................................................................... 66

Equation 4.13 – Knit Fabric Cost in $ per Meter including Dyeing, Drying and Compacting ....................................................................................................... 67

Equation 4.14 – Labor Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn .... 70

Equation 4.15 – Energy Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn .. 70

Equation 4.16 – Steam Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn ... 70

Equation 4.17 – Water Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn ... 70

Equation 4.18 – Chemical and Dye Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn ......................................................................................................... 70

Equation 4.19 – Labor Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric ..... 73

Equation 4.20 – Energy Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric .... 73

Equation 4.21 – Steam Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric .... 73

Equation 4.22 – Water Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric ..... 73

Equation 4.23 – Denim Fabric Cost in $ per Meter including Dyeing and Finishing .. 74

Equation 4.24 – Fabric Cost per T-Shirt ............................................................... 77

Equation 4.25 – Trim Cost per T-Shirt ................................................................. 79

Equation 4.26 – Apparel Conversion Direct Labor Cost per T-Shirt ......................... 80

Equation 4.27 – Apparel Conversion Indirect Labor Cost per T-Shirt ...................... 81

Equation 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Energy Consumption per T-Shirt .................... 82

Equation 4.29 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt ................................ 83

Equation 4.30 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per T-Shirt ....................... 85

Equation 4.31 – Capital Cost per T-Shirt .............................................................. 87

xii

Equation 4.32 – Exit-Factory Cost per T-Shirt....................................................... 87

Equation 4.33 – Export Tax Rebate per T-Shirt .................................................... 88

Equation 4.34 – Transportation Cost per T-Shirt .................................................. 90

Equation 4.35 – Duty Cost per T-Shirt ................................................................. 93

Equation 4.36 – Fabric Cost per Denim Bottom .................................................... 95

Equation 4.37 – Labor Cost for Denim Jean Dry Processing ................................ 100

Equation 4.38 – Water Cost for Denim Jean Washing ......................................... 100

Equation 4.39 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per Denim Jean .............. 102

Equation 4.40 – Capital Cost per Denim Jean ..................................................... 103

Equation 4.41 – Exit-Factory Cost per Denim Jean ............................................. 103

Equation 4.42 – Fabric Shipping Costs ............................................................... 105

1

1 Introduction

As sourcing of textile and apparel products continues to shift toward Asia, retailers

are faced with managing an increasingly complex procurement strategy. Sourcing

products from Asia requires planning for long lead times and heavy reliance on sales

forecast data. The inaccuracies of forecasts can create inventory stockouts or

surplus inventory at the end of selling seasons. Both scenarios negatively affect a

company’s profitability. This research project will compare supply chains with short

lead time against supply chains with low cost manufacturing with lengthier lead

times and their ability to minimize forecast error effects on retail performance.

1.1 Problem Statement

In some instances, sourcing decisions are based on limited information, primarily

focused on labor costs while paying little attention to other critical information. Asia

has become the major producer of apparel goods, in part due to their highly

competitive labor rates. Sourcing from Asia implies having longer lead times to the

United States, compared to the responsiveness of other areas of the world. Given

replenishment is not a viable option in some cases when sourcing from Asia, there is

an increased reliance on forecast data.

Forecast data for seasonal, fashion, and even basic items is commonly off

target. Actual consumer demand for products differs from the total forecasted

2

demand as well as the stock-keeping unit (SKU) mix. Unfortunately, placing

replenishment orders to better service true demand is not a viable alternative due to

long lead times; there is an imbalance between in-season replenishment

requirements and far-east lead times.

In an attempt to have improved consumer service levels, retailers often order

above-forecasted quantities of goods. The improved service levels come at the high

cost of diminished profit margins given excess inventory has to be marked down,

also referred to as discounted or “put on sale”, at the end of selling seasons. Not

only is it common for retailers to have excess inventory at the end of selling

seasons, but often they have inadequate SKU mixes in inventory (i.e., carry the

wrong styles, colors, and/or sizes), which ultimately results in stockouts and lower

service levels during the selling seasons.

1.2 Research Objectives and Research Value

This research addresses the issues of cost and lead time associated with various

textile supply chains. The specific objectives of the research are:

1. to develop a cost model for sourcing apparel goods;

2. to analyze how country trade policies and bilateral trade agreements affect

cost structures and related competitiveness;

3

3. to analyze performance of different global supply chains, as related to landed

costs and lead times;

4. to build upon previous research performed by Lisa Hartman (ITT Fellow of

2006) by reducing assumptions and validating the results by using specific

data from the new cost model.

The objectives of the research project are beneficial to improving retail

sourcing practices and to identify opportunities for textile and apparel production in

the western hemisphere. The cost model aims to improve sourcing decisions by

including all landed costs associated with an item and avoid focusing excessively on

labor costs. Identifying apparel product types that should be sourced within short

lead time regions aids justifying producing more textile and apparel products within

the western hemisphere.

The latter should be of significant interest to U.S. textile producers. The

government of the United States of America has negotiated free trade agreements

with Latin America over the past fourteen years that have created new markets for

textile producers. The yarn-forward rule of the agreements, and in some cases the

fiber-forward rule, ensures that textile producers of the U.S. will have a market to

export their products. Increased apparel production in Latin America should result

in increased U.S. yarn and fabric consumption allowing the domestic textile complex

to survive and flourish.

4

2 Literature Review

The following sections review supply chain management issues related to the

sourcing of products. Different sourcing strategies and their supply chain structure’s

ability to respond to consumer demand fluctuations are included. Also, an

examination of product and sourcing costing practices are presented. Finally, a

review of the Sourcing Simulator™ software system and sourcing simulation

capabilities is presented.

2.1 Supply Chain Management

According to the Council of Logistics Management the definition of supply chain

management is the systemic, strategic coordination of the traditional business

functions and the tactics across these business functions within a particular

company across businesses within the supply chain for the purposes of improving

the long-term performance of the individual companies and the supply chain as a

whole. Another, more simple, definition of supply chain management is the

integration of key business processes from the end user through original supplier

that provides products, services, and information that add value for customers and

other stakeholders (Long, 2003).

Supply chain management seeks to promote efficiency through supply chain

integration. A well-integrated supply chain can increase the value of the whole

5

process for all entities involved and creates value-added products for consumers

(Long, 2003). It is of utmost importance for sourcing decisions to include looking

into the strengths and weaknesses of complete supply chains as this will have a

significant impact on overall sourcing strategy performance.

As an industry example of supply chain leadership, Apparel Magazine

documents how J.C. Penney leads the retail industry in best practices and innovation

relating to global supply chain management. J.C. Penney has focused on improving

speed to market of goods, vendor consolidation, and logistics to gain an edge in the

marketplace. The company has developed and implemented factory-to-store supply

systems for specific goods. Suppliers reduced shipping lead times within five and

seven days of receiving orders and therefore are able to respond to actual consumer

demand patterns. By being able to service actual consumer demand, J.C. Penney

has been able to reduce stockouts and ultimately increase sales. Direct shipment

from factory to stores has helped reduce warehousing costs by simply bypassing

warehouses altogether. Another way in which J.C. Penney has improved their

supply chain is by accelerating their product development capabilities. The concept-

to-consumer cycle has been reduced from two years to forty-five days in some

cases. Such reductions in product development time are highly advantageous.

J.C. Penney has adopted several best practices related to logistics. As an

importer accredited under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-

6

TPAT) program it can move its goods through customs rapidly. It has decided to

diversify the ports it uses to avoid congestion in ports such as Los Angeles, and now

it brings some of its shipments from India, Sri Lanka, and other neighboring

countries through east coast ports, such as New Jersey, Savannah, and Charleston.

J.C. Penney also supports logistics operations with leading edge information

technology systems, such as i2, Teradata, ClearTrack, Oracle forecasting engines,

and Avery Dennison InfoChain Express. They also benefits from smooth flow of

goods from suppliers to stores by collaborating with their partners to ensure

products are floor-ready (Atkinson, 2006).

2.2 Sourcing and Supply Chain Responsiveness

Proactive and forward-thinking sourcing managers take into account numerous

factors to evaluate for sourcing decisions. In apparel, special attention is placed on

supply chain flexibility, product development competencies of manufacturing firms,

and other value added services. Examples of how broader service offerings can turn

into advantages are found throughout current literature. Pre-production

responsiveness leads to improved speed to market advantages over countries within

the same geographic region. For example, China does not have the lowest labor

rates, CMT, or FOB prices compared to Bangladesh, but it has a much more flexible

and complete textile and apparel supply chain (Birnbaum, 2005).

7

A high level simulation model on outsourcing from Asia developed by Kumar

and Arbi (2008) provides insight on how supply chains can be more responsive. The

study suggests how IT systems can be leveraged to reduce lead times. One of the

supply chain synergies the author recommends is forming long term partnerships.

The partnerships can reduce order processing times if both sides agree to a

common IT platform.

There are various accounts of the implications and limitations of sourcing

offshore as well. A recent study by Lowson (2003) has analyzed hidden costs, also

known as costs of inflexibility, related to sourcing offshore. A total acquisition cost

model (TACM) related to hidden costs of sourcing offshore had been previously

developed. The author executed an empirical study with retail company

participation. Relationships, called LIPS interactions, are depicted showing how lead

time performance, supplier service level performance, and supplier process time

performance relate to retail customer service levels and retail inventory levels. The

author’s findings are effective as shorter lead times, higher supplier service level,

and shorter supplier processing time result in higher customer service levels with

lower inventory levels. These findings are illustrated by Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, and

Figure 2.3, respectively.

8

Figure 2.1: Customer Service Levels Affect Re-Order Lead Times (Lowson, 2003)

Figure 2.2: Customer Service Levels Affect Supplier Performance (Lowson, 2003)

9

Figure 2.3: Customer Service Levels Affects Inventory (Lowson, 2003)

2.2.1 Traditional Sourcing

Traditional sourcing is a procurement method which aims to have all goods

forecasted to sell available before an actual selling season begins. This strategy has

no in-season reorders and cannot respond to actual demand fluctuations (Hartman,

2006). This type of practice is becoming less commonly used by some importing

countries. For example, the United Kingdom has reduced their traditional sourcing

of seasonal products from 67% in 1997 to 15% in 2008 (Butler, 2008).

2.2.2 Quick Response (QR)

Quick response manufacturing and sourcing is a practice which can significantly

improve retail performance for seasonal and fashion items. Quick response, as its

10

name implies, supplies products with quick turn times. This enables orders to be

placed more closely to and within selling seasons and therefore have better product

offering accuracy. QR can improve returns, flexibility, and customer service levels

(Hunter, 2002). This practice has been increasingly adopted for sourcing seasonal

products in recent years in the United Kingdom. In-season buying and

replenishments, which are related to quick response, has also become more widely

used (Butler, 2008). Figure 2.4 depicts the changes the UK has adopted for

seasonal product sourcing.

Figure 2.4: Changes in Sourcing Practices for Seasonal Products in the UK (adapted from

Butler, 2008)

8% 11%

40%

55%

25%

41%

30%

30%67%

48%

30%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1997 2001 2004 2008

Traditional

Replenishment

In-season Buying

11

Consumer satisfaction is a key performance indicator of retail operations, as

repeated patronage is linked with customer satisfaction. A study by Ko (2007)

recently focused on examining how quick response techniques (QRT) by retailers

affect customer satisfaction. The study divided store attributes into QRT-related and

non-QRT attributes. Some of the QRT-related retail store attributes were availability

of advertised products, accuracy of advertised products, price for value, new/fresh

merchandise, and checkout time, among others. Some non-QRT store attributes

were after-sale service, location of store, parking facilities, store hours, and others.

The study analyzed three types of shopping orientations of customers:

fashion focused, economy focused, and shopping time focused. The 232 women

study found that QRT practices yield great customer satisfaction to fashion focused

and economy focused customers. This is due to low levels of stockouts, quick

merchandise turnaround, and high value service for reasonable pricing (Ko, 2007).

Western hemisphere apparel executives feel that sourcing is returning to the

region from the Far East. During a panel discussion at Material World in April 2008,

Brian Meck of Fessler USA, a knitting-forward company located in Pennsylvania,

alluded to the fact that innovative and fashion-forward companies are seeking their

services in part because of their ability to respond with quick turn times to product

sell-through at retail.

12

2.2.3 Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR®)

A concept very similar to quick response, and one of the latest developments in

supply chain optimization, comes from collaborative efforts and partnership

ideologies. Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR®) is a

business practice which aims to combine the intelligence of all supply chain

participants in the planning and fulfillment of customer demand, specifically by

making consumer demand intelligence available to all partners. By linking all

processes, CPFR® aims to improve the availability of goods to consumers, reduce

inventory, transportation and logistics costs. Case studies of CPFR® projects have

shown improvements of in-stock percentage of up to 8% and a total supply chain

inventory reduction of 10 to 40% (Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions,

2008).

2.3 Consumer Demand Forecasting, Stockouts and Markdowns

A core component of sourcing success or failure is the ability to respond to forecast

error. Forecasting is a quantitative prediction of future events. In apparel sourcing

it is often difficult to predict consumer behavior and its related fluctuations.

Consumer demand for apparel can vary from forecasted total demand, SKU mix,

drift, demand seasonality, and others (Lowson, 2003). Some apparel producers

counteract demand uncertainty by delaying the dyeing process after garments have

13

been sewn to allow consumer color preference data to be more accurate, but this

approach is limited in application (Yeh, 2003).

Research finds that apparel retailers in the United States lose $64 billion per

year due to markdowns. Some of the retailers allocate half of their planning

resources to managing markdowns. About five percent of excess product inventory

is pushed to off-price retail channels (Kurt Salmon Associates, 2008). Leading

sourcing consultant, David Birnbaum, has been quoted saying “retailers can no

longer bear the burden of the markdown epidemic. Going forward factories will be

forced either to participate in the markdown loss (which will eventually bankrupt

them) or work to solve the problem once and for all” (Nichols, 2008).

Recent benchmark studies performed by Retail Systems Research further

detail how common forecasting error affects business performance. More than fifty

percent of respondents admit to struggling with excessive promotional discounts and

markdowns pricing of seasonal goods. While those actions are related to sell-

through of on-hand inventory, retailers significantly struggle with out of stock items

as well. Roughly forty percent of respondents consider out of stocks to be a

persistent problem for basic products, and thirty percent believe the same is true of

seasonal products (Rosenblum, 2008).

Fashion markets are characterized by products with short life cycles, high

demand volatility, low forecast accuracy, and high consumer impulse purchasing.

14

Players, like Zara, are rotating their product much more frequently and have

increased their seasons per year up to twenty in some product categories.

Traditional forecasting methods for fashion markets have resulted in overstocks or

stockouts. Reliance on forecasts to meet consumer demand must be reduced and in

its place should be reduction of lead times (Christopher, 2004).

Three distinct lead times that are essential for competing effectively in

fashion markets are time-to-market, time-to-serve, and time-to-react. Agile supply

chains should be information centered, focusing on consumer trends, sharing

information virtually, and having supply chain linkages working together and flexible

by using player strengths. The latter characteristic is exemplified by Zara and

Benetton in that they source certain operations to specialized and often small,

manufacturers. While speed and flexibility are important, the required levels of

both are determined by consumer demand unpredictability (Christopher, 2004).

2.4 Costing

The approaches to developing cost calculations can vary significantly from one

industry to the next. Some companies use straight cost accounting methods, others

activity based costing, and more recently time-driven activity based costing has

become more common. General manufacturing industry cost calculations are

relevant to this study, and therefore included in this section.

15

2.4.1 Manufacturing Cost Models

A study on inter-country pooled data illustrates that costs for the paper, iron and

steel, and aggregate manufacturing industries are driven by capital, labor, energy,

and material inputs (Roy, 2006). The electronics assembly industry’s cost structure

is formed by factory time, human resources, setup times, processing times,

materials and overhead (Locascio, 2000). The costs for pultrusion processes

(Creese, 2000), general job-shop assembly operations (Aderoba, 1997), injection

molding process (Shehab, 2002), and ethanol production processes (Kwiatkowski,

2006) share the same cost drivers: materials, labor, energy, overhead, and cost of

capital. Studies on cost drivers and cost accounting are less readily available than

studies on economic order quantity (EOQ).

2.4.2 Apparel Costing

Techniques for costing apparel are seemingly infinite, as different companies pursue

different methods. Costing documents are great tools for comparing time periods,

vendors, and countries. The apparel and textile manufacturing industries share the

same cost drivers as the industries listed previously. Studies on textiles and apparel

point to labor, materials, capital, and energy as the drivers of costs (Datta, 2005). A

case study on a knitwear company points out that labor, materials, and overhead

drives its production cost structure (Zhuang, 1990), while the costs of preparing an

16

apparel collection are summarized into labor, materials, and overhead (Aktuglu,

2001).

In parts of the world, the availability of working capital can be a limiting

factor to a company’s competitiveness. During a panel discussion at Material World

in April 2008 for example, Jim Chestnut of National Textiles, expressed that working

capital in Central America is in short supply and needs to improve in order to keep

the area competitive. He also described difficulties of obtaining capital investment

financing for projects in that area.

A simulation model for textile supply chains, COSTEX, simulated the

performance of a Belgian supply chain. The model simulates the performance of a

traditional supply chain versus an improved version of the supply chain with quick

response capability. A supply chain qualifies for quick response capability by using

best practices such as information systems (EDIs, integrated information systems

platforms), and management concepts (Just In Time, Total Quality Management,

Vendor Managed Inventory). Each best practice has qualitative effects on

performance. Depending on the use of best practices, lead times, inventory levels

and capacities change. The costs related to labor, material, capital, overhead, and

operations are reevaluated with improved supply chain performance metrics which

yield improved performance (Belpaire, 2000).

17

One costing method that stands out, Full Value Cost Analysis is a

comprehensive tool which aids industry professionals to consider, and include,

often-missed components of costing (Birnbaum, 2000). Costing items fall

under the following three categories: direct costs, indirect costs, and macro costs.

Macro costs are related to specific countries and their infrastructure, financial

institutions, corruption, communications, bureaucratic inefficiencies, tariffs,

safeguard impositions, and similar factors. While these costs are very important,

they are extremely difficult to quantify and use in costing analyses.

Indirect costs are related to services offered by factories required by

customers. Indirect costs include many pre-production tasks such as pattern

making, lab dip submission, screen print strike-offs, procurement of trims, and

more. If factories perform any of the services then the indirect costs are included in

the product price, but if the sourcing agent or customer performs these tasks then

the indirect costs are allocated within their respective overhead structure. It is

evident that sourcing decision makers value this concept. At OTEXA’s “Americas

Textile and Apparel Competitiveness Forum” John Strasburger, Vice-President and

Managing Director of VF Americas Sourcing, stated that factories need to offer

product development, pricing, sampling, and prototyping services to stay

competitive.

18

Direct costs are, as its name implies, costs which are directly related to the

actual garments. The operations and inputs included in direct costs are cut and

make labor, trims, fabric, and others. Direct costs are the one variable in the cost

equation which can be negotiated by buyers, as a buyer’s reach will not be able to

modify indirect or macro costs (Birnbaum, 2000).

2.5 Logistics

The previous section discussed manufacturing costs, but a very important support

structure and indirect cost of production to take into account is logistics. Numerous

textbooks on logistics and supply chain management define logistics using the

Council of Logistics Management’s definition. Logistics is “that part of the supply

chain process that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective flow and

storage of goods, services, and related information from point of origin to point of

consumption in order to meet customer requirements” as defined by the Council of

Logistics Management (Long, 2003). Logistics operations are charged with the

obligation of having products at the right place at the right time. Therefore an

extremely important consideration when deciding on the appropriate logistics

infrastructure to employ is lead times.

The textile and apparel industry has an international logistics network, which

adds complexity to operations. Each country has a set of customs paperwork,

19

requirements, and procedures which must be followed as well as port congestion

and charges, which are among other factors that affect lead times and costs.

Shipping routes have different frequency of service departures and transportation

times. Access from western South America to the US east coast requires use of the

Panama Canal, as does in many cases from the Far East. Shipments from India to

the US east coast commonly require transit through the Suez Canal. Insurance for

goods shipped, bunker surcharges, and overall cost structures also vary from one

shipping route to another. These and many other factors must be evaluated when

making sourcing decisions.

2.6 Global Trade

In a post-quota world and where free trade agreements by the United States have

been signed it is extremely important to understand the implications. Free trade

agreements lower trade barriers such as tariffs and allow for reciprocal market

access between trading partners. Textile businesses that are well informed of the

implications of free trade agreements can leverage their knowledge to gain

advantages.

A study in 2005 carried out at the David F. Miller Center for Retail Education

and Research addresses the opportunities the US textile industry has related to

apparel producers in the DR-CAFTA region. As more and more retailers are sourcing

20

products from China, the US textile industry must reinvent itself. China has become

the dominant supplier of apparel products because it has a very complete supply

chain with efficient product development services. However, China’s lengthy lead

times cannot respond to fluctuations in consumer demand as effectively. The US

textile and apparel industry has become more complex due to shorter product life

cycles, volatile and unpredictable demands, and high product variety, otherwise

known as SKUs.

In order to counteract the variation of demand, retail firms are pursuing

different supply chain strategies that meet the following requirements:

Delayed production close to selling seasons for improved forecasting

accuracy,

short turn-around time,

high product variety in small order size, and

flexibility to handle volatile consumer demands for short life cycle products.

The current state of sourcing practices shows that DR-CAFTA countries are

supplying basic goods, which do not have significant fluctuations in consumer

demand. This can greatly reduce the advantage of speed-to-market. Asian

suppliers pose a threat to DR-CAFTA apparel suppliers of basic goods, and in turn

pose a threat to US textile firms as the DR-CAFTA region is the largest consumer of

US yarn and fabric. Supply chains in DR-CAFTA need to focus on value-added

21

fashion apparel instead of basic apparel and make geographic proximity advantages

relevant. However, in order to be able to source these products from the area, the

textile industry must invest in the area and form long term relationships. It is also

necessary that pre-production services be established and offered within DR-CAFTA

regions.

Retailers should realize that profitability improvements should focus on

maximizing revenue and not cost of goods reductions. This can only occur if

retailers sell what is actually demanded by consumers. In order to have a successful

strategy it is important to have retailers, apparel and textile firms cooperating. Not

only is speed-to-market needed, but also insight into consumer demand trends and

behavior (Oh, 2007).

2.7 Sourcing Simulator™

The Sourcing Simulator™ software system is a tool which enables simulating

retailing scenarios for a product line; it also has the capability to model relationships

between selected operational parameters related to sourcing and environmental

factors and retail performance. The tool is designed to aid users to evaluate retail

and manufacturing performance under specific sets of conditions; it also serves as a

training tool for retail buyers and managers.

22

The actual simulation is dependent on the information users input. User

inputs include settings related to the buyer’s plan, markdowns and promotions,

sourcing strategy, cost, consumer demand, and vendor specification. Under the

before mentioned tabs the software user can specify the item selling season

duration, total units forecasted to sell, style/color/size mix, specify promotion

periods and its related details, supplier performance, lead times, cost of goods,

among many other parameters.

Once all parameters are set to specifications, the system is ready to simulate

the scenario. The system begins by generating random arrival of customers to the

retail setting and assigns an SKU to the customer randomly. The SKU is related to a

specific style, color and size garment. The system then checks if the SKU is in-stock

on the retail shelves. If the SKU is available then a sale is recorded. If the SKU is

out-of-stock, the customer may choose an alternate SKU or leave without making a

purchase.

From this simulation, the system records a large amount of performance

data. The performance metrics collected are related to revenues, costs, inventory,

and customer service on a weekly or complete season basis. Users can then vary

simulation inputs and compare the performance of different scenarios. These

metrics are a powerful tool for training of buyers and for actual sourcing decision

processes.

23

Industry case studies illustrate the practical applications of the Sourcing

Simulator™ software. King and Maddalena (1998) performed a replenishment

strategy analysis in cooperation with two companies: Dillard’s’ and clothing

manufacturer Warren Featherbone Co. Both retailer and manufacturer were

interested in implementing replenishment scenarios for children’s apparel. The

participants used the Sourcing Simulator™ software to analyze several strategies

prior to making a commitment. The simulations run showed that gross margin

performance was improved significantly with the adoption of single in-season

reorder with a 50% initial inventory delivery, compared to a traditional sourcing

approach with 100% initial inventory delivery. The single in-season replenishment

also had improved metrics in service levels and inventory turns. The study also

investigated initial inventory stocking percentages and its effect on revenue, forecast

error effects on gross margin, and the number of reorders and its effects on gross

margin. Based on the scenario analyses the two companies were able to adopt a

trial strategy.

The previous project was executed by the retailer and manufacturer. The

adoption of the replenishment strategy yielded improved performance versus a

traditional strategy. Significantly higher sell-through ratios were observed in the

styles that were sourced using a replenishment strategy, compared to styles sourced

with a traditional strategy. The results suggest that the replenishment strategy

24

helps move merchandise more effectively. The authors conclude that apparel

suppliers with replenishment capabilities have much to offer their retail customers

(King and Maddalena, 1999).

King and Moon (1999) employed the Sourcing Simulator™ to analyze

different replenishment strategies for a vertically integrated manufacturer who had

recently expanded their operations along the textile and apparel supply chain. By

systematically changing simulation parameters relevant to the manufacturer,

including initial inventory shipment quantities, number of reorder and frequency,

lead times and costs associated with different raw material stocking policies, the

users were able to obtain performance metric outputs for each scenario. The

performance metrics detail retailer (brand) performance, as well as manufacturer

performance, including gross margins, service levels, and on-time shipments, among

others.

Lisa Hartman (2005) employed the Sourcing Simulator™ software system for

an exhaustive analysis of several sourcing scenarios. Hartman focused on how

supply chain speed in sourcing impacted retail performance. In her study, she

analyzed the performance of a great number of sourcing strategies for basic goods.

For basic goods, she designed numerous sourcing scenarios by changing

supplier lead times, demand patterns, forecast error, and demand drift. For each of

the combinations possible, Hartman determined the lowest possible levels of initial

25

weeks of inventory and reorder target weeks of supply needed to yield a given

target service level at retail. Performance metrics were collected (e.g. related to

inventory levels, service levels, ROI, etc.) once the optimal solution was found for

each scenario.

By analyzing the inventory levels required for each scenario, Hartman was

able to make several inferences on sourcing strategies performance. Her analysis

identified many instances where retailers can work with shorter lead time suppliers

and afford to pay higher wholesale prices to those suppliers (up to a given

percentage), without seeing their performance suffer (Hartman, 2006). Similarly,

retailers can improve their performance by sourcing the same product at the same

price from shorter lead time suppliers. This decreased the amounts of inventory

within the supply chain and decreased inventory holding costs, obsolescence, and

markdowns, among other performance improvements.

26

3 Methodology

The review of literature showed there is a need for additional costing tools for a

largely international textile and apparel supply chain complex. The initial objective

of the research project is to develop a cost model for sourcing apparel products.

Seasonal as well as basic apparel items produced in different supply chain routes

where products could be sourced are included in the study. A list of yarn-forward

cost categories will be developed and collected. Once the cost model has been

completed, costs associated to specific products from each supply chain route will be

fed to simulation scenarios in the Sourcing Simulator™. Analyses on supply chain

impacts on retail performance will then be performed.

3.1 Product Selection

The product categories selected for the study are products that are sourced from a

large base of textile and apparel producing countries. The product categories will be

selected based on trade data from OTEXA (Office of Textile and Apparel, 2008);

specifically on major U.S. imports. Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) categories were

analyzed, along with Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subcategories. HTS

products are more specific categories compared to MFA categories, but they can

include basic goods as well as seasonal or fashion. The products eventually selected

for the study included denim bottoms and knit tops. As mentioned previously, these

27

products are sourced from all over the world including many Far East and Western

Hemisphere countries. The wide sourcing base provides for a variety of scenarios

with a set of diverse costs and lead times.

3.2 Supply Chain Routes

The following supply chains will be analyzed in the research project.

1. U.S. Yarn U.S. Fabric U.S. Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S. Retail

2. U.S. Yarn U.S./CAFTA-DR Fabric CAFTA-DR Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S.

Retail

3. U.S. Yarn U.S./ANDEAN Fabric ANDEAN Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S.

Retail

4. China Yarn China Fabric China Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S. Retail

5. China Yarn China Fabric Vietnam Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S. Retail

6. India Yarn India Fabric India Cut/Sew/Finishing U.S. Retail

3.3 Landed Cost Components

To compare the various supply chains, landed costs of the goods needs to be

established. Cost analysis will begin from fiber input costs through inbound U.S.

logistics. The major cost components to that will be included in the cost model for

the two products and the different supply chain regions/routes are:

Fabric, trim and other raw material inputs,

28

textile wet processing,

cutting and sewing operational activities and their related labor costs,

finishing (denim washing, floor-ready packing, etc.),

raw material outbound logistics,

port of export charges,

U.S. rates of duty, and

inbound logistics.

3.4 Sourcing Simulator™

Once the costing model and data collection for the different supply chains are

complete, the data will be used to drive scenarios for the Sourcing Simulator™. The

simulations will give information on how the different supply chains affect overall

retail performance. The final retail performance outputs will determine the sourcing

recommendations.

29

4 Sourcing Cost Model

The cost model developed in this study focuses on direct costs in relation to where a

product is made. The model is different from others in that it goes further into

detail, encompasses supply chain costs from fiber to end-consumer, and provides

comparisons of multiple countries for sourcing apparel goods, while being relevant

to the textile, apparel, and retail supply chain. The cost model helps identify the

overall makeup of costs for the procurement of goods. The breakdown of the many

cost elements allows for an improved appreciation of the importance of each

element. All of the cost data and related cost calculations have been entered into a

spreadsheet for interested parties.

The cost model literature available provides insight into large scale costs of

doing business. These models, such as Full Value Costing (Birnbaum, 2000), list

cost components which can be difficult to quantify, including the costs of doing

business in specific countries and supporting services related to the development of

new products. Other literature sources focus on specific industries and provide a list

of broad operational cost drivers related to that industry. The level of detail in the

literature is limited and little information is available on international supply chains

and their respective cost implications.

30

4.1 The Textile, Apparel, and Retail Supply Chain

By definition, a supply chain is the system which connects end consumers with raw

materials via many value added transformations. A supply chain does not end with

goods being delivered at a company’s warehouse or store, but instead at the

moment of sale to the end consumer. This seemingly simple concept is very

important to the cost model developed within this study. The health of an entire

supply chain is heavily impacted by the final link in which the end consumer

interacts with retail, as retail can incur significant profitability erosion due to

markdowns. As previously mentioned in the sourcing practices literature review,

markdowns can result in part due to sourcing from suppliers with lengthy lead times.

Two products were analyzed in this study, including knit t-shirts and denim

jeans. The supply chain for a t-shirt, in simplified terms, begins with fiber being

spun into yarn, followed by yarn being knit into fabric. The fabric is subsequently

dyed and finished for further apparel conversion steps. The apparel operations

begin with the cutting room, and end with sewing and packaging operations.

Denim jeans follow a similar route, except that dyeing is performed in the yarn form

compared to knits which are typically dyed in fabric form. Denim jeans also have

additional processing after sewing and before packaging. In garment form, jeans

are subject to different sanding and grinding operations, called dry processing, to

achieve worn-out looks. This operation is followed by garment washing steps with

31

desizing agents, surfactants, enzymes, and softeners that give the jean desired hand

and visual properties. Figure 4.1 illustrates a typical apparel supply chain for the

production of a t-shirt, while Figure 4.2 shows a denim bottoms supply chain.

Costing of the two products will be carried out throughout this chapter. The

following sections describe the core cost drivers of each sub-industry of the supply

chain.

Figure 4.1 - Textile, Apparel, Retail Supply Chain for T-Shirts

32

Figure 4.2 - Textile, Apparel, Retail Supply Chain for Denim Bottoms

4.2 Manufacturing Inputs

The distinct operations along the supply chain have very unique processes and

resource consumption levels. Textile and apparel manufacturing however, share

common resource requirements, including energy, labor, water and steam. The

following sections illustrate where information can be obtained for these resources

for different countries.

33

4.2.1 Labor

The most comprehensive publisher of labor wages is the International Labor Office,

a branch of the United Nations. Their wages are reported by economic activity in

manufacturing, or more generally by manufacturing industries as a whole. Rates for

specific industries, including textiles and apparel, are limited in availability for certain

countries. The ILO report has reporting gaps as not all countries have data reported

for every time period or every economic activity (International Labor Organization,

2009).

Private companies, such as Werner International or Jassin-O’Rourke

consulting firms, publish information as well. Their data is specifically related to the

textile and apparel industries, respectively, and have no data gaps for key producing

countries. The reliability of accuracy and coverage of both organizations’ data are

highly rated, as the United States International Trade Commission has published

studies on competitiveness in the apparel and textile sector using labor rates from

both Jassin-O’Rourke and Werner International (United States International Trade

Commission, 2004). The labor costs for apparel manufacturing were taken from the

2008 report by Jassin-O’Rourke Group (O’Rourke, 2008), while the labor rates for

the United States were taken from ITMF’s IPCC 2008 report as illustrated by Table

4.1.

34

Table 4.1 - Fully Loaded Hourly Labor Rates

$/hr Source

China 1.08 O'Rourke

Colombia 1.42 O'Rourke

Guatemala 1.65 O'Rourke

India 0.51 O'Rourke

United States 14.10 ITMF IPCC 2008

Vietnam 0.38 O'Rourke

4.2.2 Energy

Information on energy rates is readily available for Organization of Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) states. The International Energy Agency

publishes a great amount of reports related to all energy industries, including

electricity prices for industrial consumption. Data for developing countries, which

are often major participants of the apparel industry, is available in a much more

fragmented manner. Information on Latin America can be obtained through the

Latin American Energy Organization, OLADE (Segura, 2008). Information was also

gathered through online newspaper articles on industrial energy costs (The

Associated Press, 2008) and governmental agencies (ENEE, 2008). ITMF’s IPCC

report proved to be a valuable source of information for energy costs as well (ITMF,

2008). Electrical energy rates for all countries in this study are summarized in Table

4.2.

35

Table 4.2 - Electrical Energy Rates

$/kWh Source

China 0.1000 ITMF

Colombia 0.1070 OLADE

Guatemala 0.1600 ENEE

India 0.1120 ITMF

United States 0.0630 ITMF

Vietnam 0.0550 The Associated Press

Energy generation infrastructures vary significantly from country to country.

Some countries have been myopic in their decisions and eventually become

vulnerable to macroeconomic conditions. Some Central American countries have

supported recent increases in demand for energy by adding thermal energy stations

that run on residual fuel oils to their grid. As a consequence, those countries are

now susceptible to surges in world oil prices, which can make their energy more

expensive to produce.

Vietnam also seems to have issues with their energy markets. They have

enjoyed relatively low energy rates recently through price controls executed by the

government, but those prices will most likely increase. Vietnam needs to expand

their energy supply and infrastructure to meet increased demand, but this market is

keeping investors away. Unless the retail prices become favorable for energy

suppliers, companies will not invest in power plant projects (The Associated Press,

2008). There are price increases scheduled for residential consumption, but this

could spill over into industrial markets as well.

36

4.2.3 Water

Information on water rates was obtained from ITMF IPCC 2008 report, municipal

water agencies (EPM, 2009), web resources (Look at Vietnam, 2009), as well as

from operating data from companies with operations in the countries of interest.

Information on water costs are found in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3 - Water Rates

$/m

3 $/ gal Source

China 0.3600 0.0014 ITMF

Colombia 0.4099 0.0016 EPM

Guatemala 0.2496 0.0009 Industry data

India 0.3200 0.0012 ITMF

United States 0.3389 0.0013 Industry data

Vietnam 0.4588 0.0017 Look at Vietnam

4.2.4 Steam

The cost of steam was determined using calculations employed in a consulting

project executed by Mr. Chris Moses (2006), as noted in Equation 4.1 using energy

and residual fuel oil prices from Table 4.2 and Table 4.4, respectively. It is followed

by an example calculation for steam generation costs in China. Table 4.5 shows the

cost per pound and kilogram of steam generated in each country.

37

Table 4.4 - No. 6 Residual Fuel Oil Rates

$/gal Source

China 0.9648 Energy Information Administration

Colombia 1.1198 Energy Information Administration

Guatemala 1.1198 Energy Information Administration

India 0.9648 Energy Information Administration

United States 0.9079 Energy Information Administration

Vietnam 0.9648 Energy Information Administration

Equation 4.1 – Cost of Steam in $ per kilogram of steam

Table 4.5 - Steam Rates

$/kg $/lb

China 0.0190 0.0086

Colombia 0.0219 0.0099

Guatemala 0.0230 0.0104

India 0.0193 0.0087

United States 0.0172 0.0078

Vietnam 0.0181 0.0082

38

4.3 Textile Operations

The textile industry requires large investments in facilities, equipment, and

machinery. Reports and analyses have shown capital related expenses can

represent as much as thirty seven percent of United States ring spinning

manufacturing costs, excluding raw material costs, and as much as twenty three

percent of costs when raw materials are taken into account (International Textile

Manufacturers Federation, 2008). Other textile operations, such as knitting and

weaving follow similar trends in capital intensity. Despite the capital intensiveness

of the textile industry and its role as a barrier to entry, textile operations can be

found in developed and developing countries as well. Some countries have textile

infrastructures and market participation to lesser degrees, but it is clear that textile

operations have participants from all parts of the world.

4.3.1 International Production Cost Comparison

Given the international landscape of textiles, it is important to understand the

strengths and limitations of key players. One of the associations related to the

textile industry is the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). The

Zurich-based organization aims to serve as an international association for the

world’s textile industries. One of its many efforts is to disseminate information to its

membership. ITMF has been a leader in publishing reports which compare textile

operating costs of leading textile producing nations.

39

ITMF began publishing the International Production Cost Comparison (IPCC)

report in 1979. The publication seeks to enable understanding of the capital

intensity of the textile industry and to provide a detailed review of all manufacturing

costs. The study, developed through cooperation with original equipment

manufacturers (OEMs), individual textile companies, and several countries’ textile

associations, breaks down the major manufacturing costs and total product costs of

major operations. The areas of textile operations included in the report are

spinning, texturing, knitting, and weaving. ITMF’s publication provides key textile

cost data used as a base for inputting fabric raw material costs to the sourcing cost

model developed in the research.

The IPCC report establishes baselines and assumptions in order to calculate

costs. It assumes that all companies use the latest technology and equipment

available, and that all companies have a common plant size, equipment, and layout.

It is important to consider the assumptions, as this makes a portion of the cost

component calculations, such as machinery depreciation, irrelevant to companies

which use outdated and second hand machinery. Its scope of costs is limited to

direct manufacturing costs and does not include sales incentive offers,

transportation, insurance, and other similar costs. The study does not take into

account service levels or broader business strategy as factors for competitiveness.

In summary, it includes direct costs of manufacturing exclusively.

40

The countries included in the study are Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Korea, Turkey,

China, India, and the United States, with the latter three countries being of most

relevance and importance to the sourcing cost model research. The study assumes

that output is the same for all countries, and compensates for this by varying the

amount of labor required in each country to obtain the established output levels.

Although the report does not analyze a vast range of yarn counts and types, woven

or knitted fabric weights, the report does provide a vast amount of information on

common product types. Albeit limited in product scope, the structure of the cost

data can be used as a base to scale for cost approximations of similar fabrics. Each

manufacturing process cost is apportioned into waste, labor, power, auxiliary

materials, capital, packing (in texturing), and raw materials. By taking average

currency exchange rates of the first quarter of 2008, costs are presented in US

Dollars.

4.3.1.1 Spinning

Spinning operations are subject to several cost factors, but the prices of cotton are

the main driver for 100% cotton yarns. They can easily represent forty percent of

total yarn costs, as detailed in the next few paragraphs. Figure 4.3 lists the prices

of cotton of each country within the IPCC report. The prices of cotton staple used

for raw material costs in spinning are those prevalent during the last week of May

2008.

41

Figure 4.3 - Cotton Prices (ITMF, 2008)

There are two types of yarns included in the IPCC report. The first yarn

analyzed is a combed ring spun yarn, Ne 30, using 1-1/8 inch cotton staple. The

areas of operation analyzed include winding and assume a rate of output of 400

kilograms per hour on Rieter equipment. The second yarn analyzed is a carded

open-end spun yarn, Ne 20, using 1-1/16 inch cotton staple. The output rate is the

same 400 kilograms per hour on Rieter equipment as well. Table 4.6 and Figure 4.4

show the manufacturing costs related to the production of ring spun yarn, while

Table 4.7 and Figure 4.5 illustrate total product cost including raw material costs.

The manufacturing costs of rotor spun yarn can be seen in Table 4.8 and Figure 4.6,

while the total product cost including raw material is shown in Table 4.9 and Figure

4.7.

1.49

2.04

1.641.40

1.99

1.61

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

USA China India

Cotton Prices in $/kg

Fine (1-1/8") in $/kg Medium (1-1/16") in $/kg

42

Table 4.6 - Ring Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.240 0.328 0.263

Labor 0.503 0.033 0.043

Power 0.216 0.343 0.384

Auxiliary Material 0.132 0.118 0.118

Depreciation 0.470 0.364 0.354

Interest 0.173 0.113 0.155

TOTAL (USD per kg of yarn) 1.734 1.299 1.317

Figure 4.4 - Ring Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

USA China India

Ring Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

43

Table 4.7 - Ring Yarn Total Cost in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.240 0.328 0.263

Labor 0.503 0.033 0.043

Power 0.216 0.343 0.384



Interest 0.173 0.113 0.155

Raw Material 1.490 2.040 1.640


Figure 4.5 - Ring Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

USA China India

Ring Yarn Total Costs in $/kg

Raw Material

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

44

Table 4.8 - Open-End Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.105 0.148 0.121

Labor 0.120 0.008 0.010

Power 0.090 0.142 0.159



Interest 0.075 0.046 0.063


Figure 4.6 – Open-End Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

-0.10

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

USA China India

OE Yarn Manufacturing Costs in $/kg

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

45

Table 4.9 - Open-End Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.105 0.148 0.121

Labor 0.120 0.008 0.010

Power 0.090 0.142 0.159



Interest 0.075 0.046 0.063

Raw Material 1.400 1.990 1.610


Figure 4.7 – Open-End Yarn Total Costs in $/kg (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

4.3.1.2 Knitting

ITMF’s International Production Country Cost report covers three knitted fabric

structures: single jersey, lapique, and interlock. The single jersey fabric, which is

relevant to this cost model, is knitted with 100% cotton, combed, Ne 30, ring spun

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

USA China India

OE Yarn Total Costs in $/kg

Raw Material

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

46

yarn. The fabric has a weight of 230 grams per meter and an open-width of 1.92

meters and is manufactured on Karl Mayer Relanit 3.2 II knitting machines, with 30

inch diameter, 24 gauge, and 96 feeders with side creel. The cost calculations are

based on a mill with seventeen machines with an output per machine of 25.3

kilograms per hour. Table 4.10 and Figure 4.8 provide a detail of the costs of

producing the knitted fabric, while Table 4.11 and Figure 4.9 include raw material

costs of Ne 30 CPRS yarn as shown in Table 4.7.

Table 4.10 - Single Jersey Knitting Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF,

2008)

USA China India

Labor 0.025 0.001 0.002

Power 0.003 0.005 0.005



Interest 0.004 0.003 0.003

TOTAL (USD per m of fabric) 0.050 0.027 0.025

47

Figure 4.8 – Single Jersey Knitting Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF,

2008)

Table 4.11 - Single Jersey Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Labor 0.025 0.001 0.002

Power 0.003 0.005 0.005



Interest 0.004 0.003 0.003

Raw Material (CPRS Ne 30 Yarn) 0.742 0.768 0.680


0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

USA China India

Knitting Manufacturing Costs in $/m

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

48

Figure 4.9 - Single Jersey Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

The information and cost structure found in Table 4.11 was taken as a base

for calculating knitted fabric costs for countries not included in the ITMF report,

including Guatemala, Vietnam and Colombia. Raw material costs for Guatemala and

Colombia were set equal to US yarn cost plus maritime transportation costs to the

respective country. Vietnam’s raw material costs were set to China’s yarn costs plus

maritime transportation costs from China. Container shipping rates were obtained

through Seaboard Marine (2008) and Orient Overseas Container Line (2008).

Consultation with yarn manufacturers exporting their products provided container

stuffing data. For yarn shipping cost calculations, it was assumed that up to

16,646.84 kilograms of yarn can be shipped in a forty foot container and that a

1.87% insurance charge is applied to the cost of yarn. Equation 4.2 accounts for

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

USA China India

Knit Fabric Total Costs in $/m

Raw Material

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

49

raw material cost calculations for non-ITMF countries including the cost of shipping

yarn, followed by an example calculation for using yarn shipped from the US to

Guatemala, using the shipping rates shown in Table 4.12.

Table 4.12 - Forty-foot Container Shipping Rates

$/40ft

US to Colombia 3660

US to Guatemala 2851

China to Vietnam 1788

Equation 4.2 – Cost of Yarn including Shipping Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

Auxiliary materials and capital costs (interest and depreciation) for countries

not included in the ITMF report were assumed to be equal to the average of those

for the US, China and India. The labor and power cost components were scaled

against every ITMF country, using each country’s labor and power rates, in dollars

50

per hour and dollars per kWh, respectively. Guatemala, Vietnam, and Colombia

were assigned values equal to the average of the scaled values against the United

States, China, and India. The calculations for labor and power costs for non-ITMF

countries can be calculated using Equation 4.3; labor costs for Colombia are shown

as an example. Table 4.13, Figure 4.10, and Figure 4.11 show greige fabric costs

for all countries.

Equation 4.3 – Cost Calculations for non-ITMF Countries

51

Table 4.13 - Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m for all Countries

Labor Power Aux.

Material Capital Raw

Material Greige Total

$/m $/m $/m $/m $/m $/m

China 0.0010 0.0050 0.0060 0.0150 0.7680 0.7950

Colombia 0.0031 0.0051 0.0063 0.0140 0.8060 0.8345

Guatemala 0.0036 0.0076 0.0063 0.0140 0.7948 0.8263

India 0.0020 0.0050 0.0060 0.0120 0.6801 0.7051

United States 0.0250 0.0030 0.0070 0.0150 0.7415 0.7915

Vietnam 0.0008 0.0026 0.0063 0.0140 0.8070 0.8308

Figure 4.10 - Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m, excluding Raw Materials for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

Greige Knit Fabric Manufacturing Cost in $/m, excluding Raw Materials

Capital

Aux. Material

Power

Labor

52

Figure 4.11 – Greige Knit Fabric Costs in $/m for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries

4.3.1.3 Weaving

The report covers three woven fabric structures, with the open-end cotton yarn

fabrics being of most relevance to this cost model. The construction of the woven

fabric using open-end yarn has a construction of 24.0/24.0 threads per centimeter,

with a fabric width of 1.68 meters and 248 gram per meter greige fabric weight for

equivalent weights 147.62 grams per square meter (or 4.35 oz/yard2). The output

per machine is 21.9 meters per hour. The calculations for producing the fabric are

based on a mill with 72 Sultex B190 N2 EP11 air-jet weaving machines, and also

accounts for expenses related to air conditioning, weaving preparation, cloth

inspection, and material handling. Table 4.14 and Figure 4.12 document the

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

Greige Knit Fabric Cost in $/m

Raw Mat'l

Capital

Aux. Material

Power

Labor

53

manufacturing costs associated with producing the rotor yarn fabric, while Table

4.15 and Figure 4.13 also include raw material costs of Ne 20 KPOE yarn as shown

in Table 4.9.

Table 4.14 - Weaving Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.007 0.005 0.005

Labor 0.139 0.013 0.014

Power 0.035 0.073 0.082



Interest 0.030 0.018 0.025


Figure 4.12 - Weaving Manufacturing Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

USA China India

Weaving Manufacturing Costs in $/m

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

54

Table 4.15 - Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

USA China India

Waste 0.007 0.005 0.005

Labor 0.139 0.013 0.014

Power 0.035 0.073 0.082



Interest 0.030 0.018 0.025

Raw Material (KPOE Ne 20 Yarn) 0.515 0.637 0.544


Figure 4.13 - Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m (adapted from ITMF, 2008)

The yarn and woven fabric structures for basic denim bottoms differ from

what is found in ITMF’s IPCC 2008 report. Denim jeans require yarn counts that are

significantly coarser than Ne 20 and use fabrics with weights heavier than 4.35

oz/yd2. The basic denim jean included in this study has been assumed to have Ne 6

warp yarns and to have a fabric weight of 12.5 oz/yd2 or 423.81 g/m2.

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

USA China India

Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m

Raw Material

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

55

Coarser yarns, such as Ne 6 KPOE yarn compared to Ne 20, will have lower

rotor revolutions per minute but require less twist insertion as well, resulting in

similar yarn production output rates. For this reason and that yarn costs in ITMF’s

IPCC 2008 report are presented by weight, which is dictated in its majority by cotton

prices, Ne 6 yarn costs was assumed to be equal to the information in ITMF’s report

for KPOE Ne 20 yarn.

The fabric presented within ITMF’s report is of significantly lighter weight

compared to the fabric weight assumed, but this difference is accounted for by

scaling the yarn raw material costs to reflect the heavier fabric construction.

Nonetheless, the fabric width, pick density, pick insertion rate, and linear output of

fabric rate are similar. Despite the incongruent product types, the information is the

best available for this study and therefore is taken as a basis for denim product cost

calculations. Equation 4.4 calculates the cost of raw materials for the heavier fabric

weight using yarn costs as detailed in Table 4.9, which is followed by an example

calculation for the USA respectively. Table 4.16 summarizes the adapted total fabric

costs by substituting the new yarn cost.

Equation 4.4 – Yarn Cost per Meter of Woven Fabric

56

Table 4.16 – Woven Denim-Weight Fabric Total Cost in $ per Meter of Fabric

USA China India

Waste 0.007 0.005 0.005

Labor 0.139 0.013 0.014

Power 0.035 0.073 0.082



Interest 0.030 0.018 0.025

Raw Material (KPOE Ne 6 Yarn) 1.4774 1.8284 1.5621


Figure 4.14 – Woven Denim-Weight Fabric Total Cost in $ per Meter of Fabric

0.000

0.500

1.000

1.500

2.000

2.500

USA China India

Woven Fabric Total Costs in $/m

Raw Material

Interest

Depreciation

Auxiliary Material

Power

Labor

Waste

57

The information and cost structure found in Table 4.16 was taken as a base

for calculating woven fabric costs for countries not included in the ITMF report,

including Guatemala, Vietnam and Colombia. Raw material costs for Guatemala and

Colombia were set equal to US yarn cost plus maritime transportation costs,

including a 1.87% insurance charge, to the respective country. Vietnam’s raw

material costs were set to China’s yarn costs plus maritime transportation costs, also

including a 1.87% insurance charge, from China. The example below uses Equation

4.2 to account for yarn raw material cost calculations for non-ITMF countries

including the cost of shipping yarn, for using yarn shipped from the US to

Guatemala, using the shipping rates shown in Table 4.12.

Auxiliary materials and capital costs (interest and depreciation) for countries

not included in the ITMF report were assumed to be equal to the average of those

for the US, China and India. The labor and power cost components were scaled

against every ITMF country, using each country’s labor and power rates, in dollars

per hour and dollars per kWh, respectively. Guatemala, Vietnam, and Colombia

58

were assigned values equal to the average of the scaled values against the United

States, China, and India. The calculations for labor and power costs for non-ITMF

countries can be calculated using Equation 4.3; labor costs for Colombia are shown

below as an example. Table 4.17, Figure 4.15, and Figure 4.16 show greige fabric

costs for all countries.

Table 4.17 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m for all Countries

Waste Labor Power Aux.

Material Capital Raw Mat'l Greige Total

Country $/m $/m $/m $/m $/m $/m $/m

China 0.0050 0.0130 0.0730 0.0400 0.0780 1.8284 2.0374

Colombia 0.0057 0.0234 0.0720 0.0507 0.0957 1.6616 1.9089

Guatemala 0.0057 0.0271 0.1076 0.0507 0.0957 1.6270 1.9137

India 0.0050 0.0140 0.0820 0.0750 0.0880 1.5621 1.8261

United States 0.0070 0.1390 0.0350 0.0370 0.1210 1.4774 1.8164

Vietnam 0.0057 0.0063 0.0370 0.0507 0.0957 1.9391 2.1343

59

Figure 4.15 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m, excluding Raw Materials for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries

Figure 4.16 – Greige Woven Fabric Costs in $/m for ITMF and non-ITMF Countries

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

Greige Woven Fabric Manufacturing Cost in $/m, excluding Raw Materials

Capital

Aux. Material

Power

Labor

Waste

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

Greige Woven Fabric Cost in $/m

Raw Mat'l

Capital

Aux. Material

Power

Labor

Waste

60

4.3.2 Wet Processing

The wet processing stage of textile operations is characterized by a costly

consumption of resources. Dyeing and finishing machinery manufacturer executive

Bill Fong, of Fong’s Industries Co. Ltd., supplied water consumption data at a recent

industry exposition. According to the data presented, the average kilogram of

finished fabric can require between 100 and 150 liters of water to be processed

(Rupp, 2008). Information supplied by original equipment manufacturers for this

study indicate that technology currently available deviates significantly from the

previous statistic, as much less water is consumed per kilogram of fabric according

to their specifications.

Energy consumption in this stage is considerably high as well. Finishing can

account for as much as fifty nine percent of energy consumption from yarn spinning

to the finished garment stage. Benchmark data illustrates finishing operations

consume 17.9 kWh per kilogram, compared to 1.2 and 6.2 kWh for knitting and

weaving, respectively (Stegmaier, 2007). Figure 4.17 details energy consumption

along the textile supply chain of a 300-gram cotton shirt made of Ne 45 combed ring

spun yarn, with air jet woven fabric (75 g/m2).

61

Figure 4.17 - Energy Consumption for a Cotton Shirt (adapted from Stegmaier, 2007)

4.3.2.1 Wet Processing for Knits – Piece Dyeing

Sources of information for wet processing costs were made possible by original

equipment manufacturers. Gaston County Dyeing Machine Company provided piece

dyeing operating data including labor, chemical, dyes, water, steam, and electric

consumption rates for a typical plant setup (Davis, 2009). Information was provided

for scouring and dyeing 100% cotton piece goods with a dark shade. The costs are

related to processing the fabric on a 2-strand Millennium Dyeing Machine with

Charge Tank using reactive dyes. The analysis was setup assuming a 1000 pound

load, 4.78-hour cycle time, at 90 percent efficiency for an output of 188 pounds of

fabric per hour. Table 4.18 illustrates the resource consumption rates per pound for

1.82.49

6.2

0.080

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Spinning Weaving Finishing Make Up

Energy Consumption

kWh

62

the given production setup, while Equation 4.5 through Equation 4.9 show cost

calculation formulas, followed by an example calculation based on operating in

China. Table 4.19, Figure 4.18, and Figure 4.19 summarize dyeing costs for all

countries included in the study.

Table 4.18 - Resource Consumption Rates per Pound of Knit Fabric for Piece Dyeing

Component Unit Qty

Labor hour 1/3 x 1/188

Auxiliary Chemical $ 0.0874

Dyes $ 0.6818

Water gallon 4.8

Steam lb 2.13

Energy kWh 0.0853

Equation 4.5 – Labor Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric

Equation 4.6 – Energy Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric

Equation 4.7 – Steam Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric

63

Equation 4.8 – Water Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric

Equation 4.9 – Chemical and Dye Cost for Piece Dyeing in $ per Pound of Knit Fabric

Table 4.19 - Piece Dyeing Costs in $/lb and $/m of Knit Fabric

Labor Energy Steam Water

Dyes & Chem

TOTAL

$/lb $/m

China 0.0019 0.0085 0.0184 0.0065 0.7692 0.8046 0.4080

Colombia 0.0025 0.0091 0.0212 0.0074 0.7692 0.8094 0.4104

Guatemala 0.0029 0.0136 0.0223 0.0045 0.7692 0.8125 0.4120

India 0.0009 0.0096 0.0186 0.0058 0.7692 0.8041 0.4077

United States 0.0250 0.0054 0.0167 0.0062 0.7692 0.8224 0.4170

Vietnam 0.0007 0.0047 0.0175 0.0083 0.7692 0.8003 0.4058

64

Figure 4.18 – Piece Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, Excluding Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Figure 4.19 – Piece Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, Including Dyes and

Auxiliary Chemicals

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, excluding Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Water

Steam

Energy

Labor

0.000.100.200.300.400.500.600.700.800.90

Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Knit Fabric, including Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Dyes & Chem

Water

Steam

Energy

Labor

65

Publically available information on resource consumption for drying and

compacting of the knit fabric was obtained from Biancalani (2009). Biancalani’s

Spyra 10 machine was taken as the base for drying and compacting of knits. The

Spyra is a tumbler with rotating drums, which operates in continuous form and can

dry, soften and compact knits in rope form. According to their brochure, three to

thirty five meters of fabric can be processed per minute. For this analysis, 1140

meters per hour were assumed to be output. On average, the machine consumes

80 kWh and 1400 kilograms of steam per hour, plus one operator to perform the

drying and compacting of the fabric at the assumed output rates (Biancalani, 2009).

Equation 4.10 through Equation 4.12 account for costs of drying and compacting

cotton knit fabric, and are followed by an example calculation for sourcing from

China. Table 4.20 and Figure 4.20 show the costs for the countries included in this

study.

Equation 4.10 – Labor Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

66

Equation 4.11 – Energy Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

Equation 4.12 – Steam Cost for Drying and Compacting in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

Table 4.20 - Drying and Compacting Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

Labor Energy Steam TOTAL

China 0.0009 0.0070 0.0234 0.0313

Colombia 0.0012 0.0075 0.0269 0.0356

Guatemala 0.0014 0.0112 0.0283 0.0410

India 0.0004 0.0079 0.0237 0.0320

United States 0.0124 0.0044 0.0212 0.0380

Vietnam 0.0003 0.0039 0.0222 0.0264

67

Figure 4.20 - Drying and Compacting Costs in $ per Meter of Knit Fabric

Equation 4.13 shows the summation of greige fabric costs, and subsequent

costs of wet processing and finishing, by adding the costs of Equation 4.5 through

Equation 4.12. Immediately below the equation is a sample calculation based on

sourcing from China. Table 4.21 and Figure 4.21 show total fabric costs for the

countries included in this research.

Equation 4.13 – Knit Fabric Cost in $ per Meter including Dyeing, Drying and Compacting

0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025

0.030

0.035

0.040

0.045

Drying & Compacting Costs in $/m of Knit Fabric

Steam

Energy

Labor

68

Table 4.21 – Finished Knit Fabric Cost in $ per meter

Greige Dyeing Drying TOTAL

China 0.7950 0.4080 0.0313 1.2343

Colombia 0.8345 0.4104 0.0356 1.2806

Guatemala 0.8263 0.4120 0.0410 1.2793

India 0.7051 0.4077 0.0320 1.1448

United States 0.7915 0.4170 0.0380 1.2465

Vietnam 0.8308 0.4058 0.0264 1.2630

Figure 4.21 – Finished Knit Fabric Cost in $/m

4.3.2.2 Wet Processing for Denim – Indigo Rope Dye Range

The dyeing process for denim products differs from knit goods. For basic denim

jeans, the indigo dye is applied only to the warp yarns, and therefore the dyeing

process is performed before the fabric is woven. The finishing process is performed

after the fabric has been woven to achieve fabric stability and other properties.

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

China Colombia Guatemala India United States

Vietnam

Finished Knit Fabric Cost in $/m

Drying

Dyeing

Greige

69

Information on indigo dyeing and finishing costs was supplied by Morrison Textile

Machinery Co., American Monforts LLC, and DyStar Textilfarben GmbH. The

following paragraphs show the operational requirements of these processes.

Morrison Textile Machinery Co. provided data for operating an indigo rope

dyeing range including labor, electric, steam, and water consumption rates for a

typical plant setup. The requirements are for a basic indigo rope range with a single

set of drying cans, 24 ropes of 360 ends per rope, and 17 nips. The analysis for Ne

6 yarn with a 2% shade shows the range operating at an output rate of 3702.9

pounds per hour. DyStar provided cost information for preparation, dyeing, and

yarn lubrication for a 2% shade. Table 4.22 shows the hourly resource consumption

rates for rope dyeing with the given setup, while Equation 4.14 through Equation

4.18 show cost calculation formulas, followed by an example calculation based on

operating in China. Table 4.23, Figure 4.22, and Figure 4.23 summarize dyeing

costs for all countries included in the study.

Table 4.22 – Hourly Resource Consumption Rates for Rope Dyeing

Component Unit Qty

Labor hour 3

Water m3 19.8

Steam kg 2930

Energy kWh 57.5

70

Equation 4.14 – Labor Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn

Equation 4.15 – Energy Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn

Equation 4.16 – Steam Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn

Equation 4.17 – Water Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn

Equation 4.18 – Chemical and Dye Cost for Rope Dyeing in $ per Pound of Dyed Warp Yarn

71

Table 4.23 – Rope Dyeing Costs in $/lb of Warp Yarn and $/m of Woven Fabric

Country Labor Energy Steam Water Dyes & Chem

TOTAL

$/lb (warp yarn)

$/m (fabric)

China 0.0009 0.0016 0.0151 0.0019 0.1380 0.1574 0.2295

Colombia 0.0012 0.0017 0.0173 0.0022 0.1380 0.1603 0.2338

Guatemala 0.0013 0.0025 0.0182 0.0013 0.1380 0.1614 0.2353

India 0.0004 0.0017 0.0153 0.0017 0.1380 0.1571 0.2291

United States 0.0114 0.0010 0.0136 0.0018 0.1380 0.1659 0.2418

Vietnam 0.0003 0.0009 0.0143 0.0025 0.1380 0.1559 0.2273

Figure 4.22 – Rope Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, Excluding Dyes and

Auxiliary Chemicals

0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025

0.030

Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, excluding Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Water

Steam

Energy

Labor

72

Figure 4.23 – Rope Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, Including Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Information related to denim fabric finishing was provided by American

Monforts LLC. The information was provided for a range with a finishing output of

1800 meters of fabric per hour. The machine consumes 30 kWh, 7 cubic meters of

water, and 1400 kilograms of steam per hour, plus one operator to perform the

drying and compacting of the fabric at the assumed output rates. Chemical and

capital costs for the given output are $0.0365 and $0.0240 per meter of fabric,

respectively. Equation 4.19 through Equation 4.22 account for costs associated with

finishing denim fabric, and are followed by an example calculation for sourcing from

China. Table 4.24 and Figure 4.24 summarize the finishing costs for all countries in

this study.

0.000.020.040.060.080.100.120.140.160.18

Dyeing Processing Cost in $/lb of Warp Yarn, including Dyes and Auxiliary Chemicals

Dyes & Chem

Water

Steam

Energy

Labor

73

Equation 4.19 – Labor Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric

Equation 4.20 – Energy Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric

Equation 4.21 – Steam Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric

Equation 4.22 – Water Cost for Finishing Denim Fabric in $ per Meter of Fabric

Table 4.24 – Denim Fabric Finishing Costs in $ per Meter of Fabric

Country Labor Energy Steam Water Chemicals Capital TOTAL

China 0.0006 0.0017 0.0148 0.0014 0.0365 0.0240 0.0790

Colombia 0.0008 0.0018 0.0170 0.0016 0.0365 0.0240 0.0817

Guatemala 0.0009 0.0027 0.0179 0.0010 0.0365 0.0240 0.0830

India 0.0003 0.0019 0.0150 0.0012 0.0365 0.0240 0.0789

United States 0.0078 0.0011 0.0134 0.0013 0.0365 0.0240 0.0841

Vietnam 0.0002 0.0009 0.0140 0.0018 0.0365 0.0240 0.0775

74

Figure 4.24 – Denim Fabric Finishing Costs in $ per Meter

The sections above show the costs for dyeing and finishing denim fabric. By

adding the costs from Equation 4.14 through Equation 4.22, a final finished denim

fabric cost is obtained, as shown by Equation 4.23 and the example for sourcing

from China immediately following it. Table 4.25 and Figure 4.25 show finished 1.68

meter-wide denim fabric costs, which is ready for the apparel conversion process for

all countries.

Equation 4.23 – Denim Fabric Cost in $ per Meter including Dyeing and Finishing

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

Finishing Costs in $/m of Denim Fabric

Capital

Chemicals

Water

Steam

Energy

Labor

75

Table 4.25 – Finished Denim Fabric Costs in $ per Meter

Country Greige Dyeing Finishing TOTAL

China 2.0374 0.2295 0.0790 2.3459

Colombia 1.9089 0.2338 0.0817 2.2244

Guatemala 1.9137 0.2353 0.0830 2.2320

India 1.8261 0.2291 0.0789 2.1341

United States 1.8164 0.2418 0.0841 2.1423

Vietnam 2.1343 0.2273 0.0775 2.4391

Figure 4.25 – Finished Denim Fabric Costs in $ per Meter

4.4 Apparel Operations

Once a dyed fabric is produced, the t-shirt and denim bottoms conversion process

begins, although dyeing can be postponed after garments are sewn in some cases.

Unlike textile operations, the apparel industry is not nearly as capital intensive, but

considerably more labor intensive. The cost drivers for apparel conversion were

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00


Vietnam

Finished Denim Fabric Cost in $/m

Finishing

Dyeing

Greige

76

determined via professional experiences and industry consultation. The major cost

drivers for apparel conversion are fabric, trims, labor, energy, and cost of capital.

The cost of a good is the product of two variables, the amount of resources

consumed per unit produced and the cost per unit of those resources. For a given

product, the amount of resources consumed has little variation from one country to

another. The part of the equation that does change depending on where a product

is produced is the cost per unit of a given set of resources.

4.4.1 Fabric and Trims for a T-Shirt

The most significant cost component in apparel manufacturing is the consumption of

fabric. The cutting room is the first and most important area to control the efficient

use of fabric. Fabric loss costs in cutting room operations such as spread loss and

marker yields were accounted for in cost calculations. Spread loss was set to 0.8

percent. The costs shown in Figure 4.21 are for fabric of 37.80 inches in width, but

costing was calculated for an average fabric width for knit t-shirts was set to 22

inches assuming tubular fabric was used, instead of open-width fabric which

requires side seam sewing operations. Assuming the production cost structure does

not change for different widths, the cost was scaled to a 22 inch-wide fabric. The

linear fabric length required for one t-shirt was set to 0.9906 meters. The fabric

costs, fabric width scaling, and cutting room factors are accounted for in Equation

77

4.24. Table 4.26 and Figure 4.26 show the fabric costs per garment for each

country in this analysis.

Equation 4.24 – Fabric Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.26 - Fabric Cost per T-Shirt

$/gmt

China 0.7174

Colombia 0.7443

Guatemala 0.7436

India 0.6654

United States 0.7245

Vietnam 0.7341

78

Figure 4.26 – Fabric Cost per T-Shirt

Secondary materials are required for garment manufacture, such as thread,

neck labels, packing materials, zippers, buttons, and others. Secondary materials

and floor-ready packaging trim cost data were gathered from a trim and findings

procurement manager in the knit goods industry (Procurement Manager 1, 2009).

Prices for trims are very similar throughout all apparel producing companies with

large production volume, so trim costs were set equal for all countries. Though

trims are a collection of many small items with relatively low costs, they can

represent a significant percent of the total fabric and trims cost, with thread

accounting for the largest cost of trims. Table 4.27 and Equation 4.25 show the

trim materials required and their respective costs for a retail floor-ready t-shirt.

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80


Vietnam

Fabric Cost in $/t-shirt

79

Table 4.27 - Trim Requirement and Costs for a Floor-ready T-Shirt

Materials Requirement

$/UOM $/garment UOM Qty

Thread lb 0.08 1.9200 0.1536

Tagless neck label unit 1 0.0180 0.0180

Poly bag unit 1 0.0160 0.0160

Swiftachs unit 1 0.0010 0.0010

Hang tags unit 1 0.0320 0.0320

Size strips unit 1 0.0210 0.0210

Boxes unit 1/60 0.8900 0.0148

Tape ft 0.08 0.0029 0.0002

TOTAL 0.2567

Equation 4.25 – Trim Cost per T-Shirt

4.4.2 Labor for a T-Shirt

Apparel production is labor intensive, with less complex products easily requiring five

standard allowed minutes (SAM) for cutting room operations and garment assembly.

Labor data sources are available through international organizations and also via

private consultancies; the two are quite different in their data acquisitions methods

80

and timeliness of data dissemination. Most reports include fully-loaded wage rates,

which include social benefits, fringes, and other similar labor related expenses.

The labor requirements are based on benchmark rates of labor requirements

for product types. Each garment style has its own set of operations and complexity,

and therefore requires a specific amount of labor resources. The sewing operations

for the t-shirt in this study were set to require 7 standard allowed minutes (SAMs).

Operator efficiency rates and time on-standard (non-idle time) were factored into

the labor cost calculation, and were set to 85 and 90 percent, respectively. Indirect

labor support personnel were also taken into consideration for apparel conversion

costs, by using industry benchmarks for indirect to direct personnel ratios

(Production Manager 1, 2007), and were set to a 1 to 5 ratio. Indirect labor rates

were assumed to be eighty percent of direct labor rates. Equation 4.26 and

Equation 4.27 illustrate the labor cost calculations for apparel assembly, while Table

4.28 and Figure 4.27 show labor costs for all countries.

Equation 4.26 – Apparel Conversion Direct Labor Cost per T-Shirt

81

Equation 4.27 – Apparel Conversion Indirect Labor Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per T-Shirt

$/gmt

China 0.1911

Colombia 0.2512

Guatemala 0.2919

India 0.0902


Vietnam 0.0672

Figure 4.27 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per T-Shirt

0.000.250.500.751.001.251.501.752.002.252.502.75


Vietnam

Labor Cost in $/t-shirt

82

4.4.3 Energy for a T-Shirt

Compared to textile operations, apparel manufacturing does not consume a

significant amount of energy. While, energy consumption does not impact overall

costs as much as raw materials and labor, it is nonetheless important to know how it

affects the bottom line. The energy consumption for the cut and sew of a knit t-

shirt was calculated to be 0.1248 kWh. The energy consumption rates were

calculated by taking typical sewing equipment, lighting, and estimated supporting

equipment power requirements and relating them to the average space requirement

for sewing and total SAMs required to cut, sew and finish a garment as shown by

Equation 4.28.

Equation 4.29 and the example for sourcing from China following it, show energy

costs related to apparel assembly, while Table 4.29 and Figure 4.28 summarize

energy costs for all countries in the study.

Equation 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Energy Consumption per T-Shirt

83

Equation 4.29 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.29 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt

$/gmt

China 0.0125

Colombia 0.0134

Guatemala 0.0200

India 0.0140


Vietnam 0.0069

84

Figure 4.28 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per T-Shirt

4.4.4 Off-quality and Process Yield for a T-Shirt

The previous sections covered direct inputs of the apparel industry, but there are

other issues to consider as well. As with all manufacturing processes, the apparel

conversion industry has quality issues which affect process yields. For this study, a

two percent off-quality factor has been applied to the entire apparel conversion

process. Equation 4.30 shows the costs associated with non-acceptable goods

output, followed by an example calculation for Chinese production. Table 4.30

summarizes the costs for each country in this study.

0.000

0.005

0.010

0.015

0.020

0.025


Vietnam

Energy Cost in $/t-shirt

85

Equation 4.30 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.30 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per T-Shirt

$/gmt

China 0.0236

Colombia 0.0253

Guatemala 0.0262

India 0.0205


Vietnam 0.0213

4.4.5 Capital Cost for a T-Shirt

As previously mentioned, the apparel industry is much less capital intensive when

compared to textile operations. In this cost model greater focus is placed on short

term financing expenses, especially related to working capital. Guidance on

practices and costs related to wholesale product financing was obtained through

contact with the CIT Group (Tabb, 2009). As an active participant in the financial

area of the apparel industry, CIT Group offers services including factoring, credit

protection, accounts receivable management, and lending services to apparel

companies.

86

Throughout the research process, it became evident that limited information

is available publically on costs of capital for countries. Macroeconomic factors and

indexes, such as country risk ratings are available and published by many

organizations, but the limited information does not translate into specific quantifiable

costs of capital for a given country. Country specific cost of capital would have to

be collected in a manner similar to ITMF’s approach, which includes obtaining data

from specific companies operating in different countries.

The Senior Vice-President and New Business Manager for CIT in the

southeast region, Mr. Lewis Tabb, provided insight on trade trends and financing.

He had specific observations related to trade financing with China and Central

America. Mr. Tabb has seen that China has benefitted from a significant increase in

available capital for the industry in recent years. He believes that the consolidation

of participants in the industry will help that country. On another note, Latin America

is positioned to make improvements as well. He cited that the Central American

banking industry was highly fragmented, with many small and conservatively run

banks. He believes that the numerous regional acquisitions in the area by large

multinationals will bring many improvements to the system. Long term averages for

the cost of capital for apparel have accounted for approximately three percent of

wholesale costs. The costs of capital are applied to fabric, trims, direct labor,

indirect labor, energy and process yield costs in apparel operations as illustrated by

87

Equation 4.31 and the example following it for sourcing from China. Exit-factory

values can be calculated using Equation 4.32, which is followed by an example

calculation for sourcing from China.

Equation 4.31 – Capital Cost per T-Shirt

Equation 4.32 – Exit-Factory Cost per T-Shirt

4.4.6 Export Rebate Taxes for a T-Shirt

One of the countries included in this study, China, has provided exporters of apparel

goods with incentives to promote trade. Export tax rebate (ETR) rates for Chinese

88

products have risen to fifteen percent recently (Xinhua News Agency, 2009) and

must be accounted for as well. This rebate is applied to “exit-factory” prices, as

documented by Equation 4.33 and the example immediately below it. Table 4.31

shows exit-factory, rebate, and FOB values for all countries in this study.

Equation 4.33 – Export Tax Rebate per T-Shirt

Table 4.31 – Exit-Factory, Export Tax Rebate, and FOB Values per T-Shirt

Exit-

Factory Rebate

FOB Value

$/gmt $/gmt $/gmt

China 1.2372 0.0000 1.2372

China (w/ rebate) 1.2372 0.1856 1.0516

Colombia 1.3296 0.0000 1.3296

Guatemala 1.3785 0.0000 1.3785

India 1.0782 0.0000 1.0782

United States 3.6596 0.0000 3.6596

Vietnam 1.1187 0.0000 1.1187

4.5 Logistics, Trade, and Landed Costs for a T-Shirt

There are two critical elements of information that affect retail performance within

logistics operations. The first element collected is the cost of shipping full twenty-

89

foot (TEU) and forty-foot equivalent unit (FEU) containers. For the purposes of this

research, no less-than-container shipping costs were considered in the analysis. The

Landmark Ocean Shipping Reform Act requires maritime liner companies shipping to

the United States to make their shipping costs available to the general public, which

makes data collection possible. The online database tools available provide a great

amount of detail on the cost elements of shipping, including usage of the Panama

Canal, Suez Canal, documentation fees, security charges, customs clearance,

paperwork correction charges, bunker fuel surcharges, and more. For the Americas,

the company with the most complete information available online is Seaboard

Marine. For shipping rates from Asia, Orient Overseas Container Line, Ltd. (OOCL)

and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. made their information available with the

greatest amount of detail. For every route available the companies made available

their maritime and total transit times. This second data point collected can have a

large effect on sourcing and retail performance. Equation 4.34 shows the shipping

costs per garment shipped, followed by an example of shipping garments from

China to the United States using FOB prices and applying a 1.87% rate of insurance

charge to this value. Table 4.32 summarizes transportation costs and maritime

transit times to the United States for all the countries in the study.

90

Equation 4.34 – Transportation Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.32 – Maritime Transit Times in days and Transportation Costs per T-Shirt

Country Transit (days)

$/40ft container

$/gmt

China 13 2780 0.0992

China (w/ rebate) 13 2780 0.0956

Colombia 4 2644 0.0973

Guatemala 3 2771 0.1017

India 18 2979 0.1015

United States 0 0 0.0000

Vietnam 19 3100 0.1056

The price per barrel of oil fluctuated significantly over the research period of

this project. Given that maritime transportation cost structures are in part

dependent on the prices of bunker fuel, it is important to note how much impact

soaring oil prices can have on specific routes and sourcing strategies. During the

91

first quarter of 2009 with oil prices at approximately $40 per barrel, total maritime

transportation costs for Far East routes to the US East Coast were lower than

western hemisphere routes. Bunker surcharges accounted for six to seven percent

of costs of western hemisphere routes, compared to twelve to thirteen percent of

costs of Far East routes. If bunker surcharges are directly proportional to oil prices,

this makes Far East routes more sensitive to higher oil prices. If this assumption

holds true and oil prices surge while other costs remain equal, transportation costs

should be higher for Far East routes compared to western hemisphere routes as

illustrated by Figure 4.29.

Figure 4.29 - Comparison of Transportation Costs for 40 ft Containers Assuming Bunker Surcharges are Directly Proportional to Oil Prices

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

China India Vietnam Colombia Guatemala

40 ft Container Shipping Costs for Varying Oil Prices

$40/barrel

$140/barrel

92

Tariff rates for entry to the US market heavily impact final landed costs of

goods, and therefore impacts a country’s competitiveness as a supplier of apparel

goods. The United States International Trade Commission makes all Harmonized

Tariff Schedule information available on their website. Rates of duty for countries

outside of free trade agreements are in the order of 16.5% for cotton t-shirts and

16.6% for denim trousers. Countries with FTAs with the United States benefit from

duty-free access when rules of origin are met (United States International Trade

Commission, 2008). The duty rates for each garment and country can be calculated

using Equation 4.35 and the duty rates shown in Table 4.33. The final landed cost

of goods is obtained by adding FOB values, transportation, and duty costs. The

landed cost is heavily impacted when the duty component is factored in, as

summarized by Table 4.34.

Table 4.33 - Duty Rates for Entry into the United States and Foreign Export Tax Rebates

Duty Rebate

Country % %

China 16.5 15

Colombia 16.5 0

Guatemala 0 0

India 16.5 0

United States 0 0

Vietnam 16.5 0

93

Equation 4.35 – Duty Cost per T-Shirt

Table 4.34 - Landed Cost per T-Shirt

$/gmt

China 1.5405

China (w/ rebate) 1.3207

Colombia 1.6462

Guatemala 1.4802

India 1.3576


Vietnam 1.4089

4.6 Landed Cost for T-Shirts Using Open-End Yarn

The cost structure for t-shirts changes when open-end yarns are used instead of

ring spun yarns. It is important to note how cost advantages are gained or lost

through the use of different raw materials. The landed costs for each country can

be obtained by using the yarn costs listed in Table 4.9, and these are listed below.

94

Table 4.35 - Landed Cost per T-shirt Using Open-end Yarn

$/gmt

China 1.4123


Colombia 1.4515

Guatemala 1.3126

India 1.2307


Vietnam 1.2783

4.7 Apparel Conversion Costs for a Denim Bottom

The previous sections show how to calculate the apparel conversion, trade, and

logistics costs of a t-shirt. This section calculates the costs for a denim bottom, in a

manner similar to the t-shirt costing process and additional garment washing

processing costs.

The cost of fabric per pair of jeans can be calculated in a similar manner to t-

shirt fabric consumption costs, except that there is no need to scale fabric width for

jeans. The costs per meter of finished denim fabric are those seen in Table 4.25.

The linear fabric length required for one denim bottom was assumed to be 1.5453

meters, with a cutting table spread loss of 3.0 percent. The fabric costs and cutting

room factors for a pair of jeans are accounted for in Equation 4.36. Table 4.36 and

Figure 4.30 show the fabric costs per denim jean for each country in this analysis.

Table 4.37 list all trim requirements and costs for a retail floor-ready denim jean for

all countries.

95

Equation 4.36 – Fabric Cost per Denim Bottom

Table 4.36 – Fabric Cost per Denim Jean

$/gmt

China 3.7340

Colombia 3.5405

Guatemala 3.5527

India 3.3969


Vietnam 3.8824

Figure 4.30 – Fabric Cost per Denim Jean

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50


Vietnam

Fabric Cost in $/garment

96

Table 4.37 – Trim Requirement and Cost for a Floor-Ready Denim Jean

Materials Requirement

$/UOM $/garment UOM Qty

Pocketing unit 2 0.1663 0.3326

Zipper unit 1 0.1550 0.1550

Thread lb 0.19 2.0550 0.3905

Fusionables unit 1 0.0077 0.0077

Patch Label unit 1 0.0490 0.0490

Woven Care Label unit 1 0.0666 0.0666

Country of Origin Label unit 1 0.0146 0.0146

Size Strip unit 1 0.0409 0.0409

VM Foldover unit 1 0.0200 0.0200

Hang tag unit 2 0.0320 0.0640

Swiftachs unit 1 0.0016 0.0016

Poly bag unit 1 0.0375 0.0375

Boxes unit 1/24 0.8900 0.0371

Tape ft 0.19 0.0029 0.0006

Tack unit 5 0.0102 0.0510

Button unit 1 0.0285 0.0285

Rivets unit 6 0.0138 0.0825

TOTAL 1.3795

The operations required to assemble a jean are significantly higher than a t-

shirt. The labor required to sew a jean was assumed to be 21 SAMs. The operator

efficiency and non-idle time was assumed to be 85% and 90%, respectively.

Equation 4.26 and Equation 4.27 can be used to calculate direct and indirect labor

costs, as detailed by the following two example calculations for sourcing from China.

Table 4.38 and Figure 4.31 summarize labor costs required to cut, sew, and pack a

jean for all countries.

97

Table 4.38 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per Denim Jean

$/gmt

China 0.5732

Colombia 0.7536

Guatemala 0.8757

India 0.2707


Vietnam 0.2017

Figure 4.31 – Apparel Conversion Labor Cost per Denim Jean

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00


Vietnam

Labor Cost in $/garment

98

The energy consumption for the cut and sew of a denim jean was calculated

to be 0.3745 kWh. The energy consumption rates were calculated by taking typical

sewing equipment, lighting, and estimated supporting equipment power

requirements and relating them to the average space requirement for sewing and

total SAMs required to cut, sew and finish a garment as shown by the example

calculation below using Equation 4.28. Energy costs for the same example can be

calculated by employing Equation 4.29 related to apparel assembly as shown below,

while Table 4.39 and Figure 4.32 summarize energy costs for all countries in the

study.

99

Table 4.39 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per Denim Jean

$/gmt

China 0.0375

Colombia 0.0401

Guatemala 0.0599

India 0.0419


Vietnam 0.0206

Figure 4.32 – Apparel Conversion Energy Cost per Denim Jean

Garment finishes and washes for basic jeans are of limited complexity, when

compared to the seemingly infinite garment dry processes and washes of fashion

denim jeans. Basic denim jeans do require a significant amount of labor resources

for dry processing, including sanding, grinding, spraying of solutions on sanded

areas, and other means of mechanical agitation. The dry garment processing is

0.000

0.010

0.020

0.030

0.040

0.050

0.060

0.070


Vietnam

Energy Cost in $/garment

100

rarely automated. Instead it is executed in large part by human action. Garment

washing consumes steam, electric energy, water, softeners, detergents, enzymes

and other auxiliary chemicals. A denim laundry facility manager in Latin America

provided labor and water requirement data for these processes. Equation 4.37 and

Equation 4.38 can be used to calculate the labor and water costs related to garment

dry processing and washing. The examples following each equation are for sourcing

from China. Table 4.40 shows the garment processing costs for all countries.

Equation 4.37 – Labor Cost for Denim Jean Dry Processing

Equation 4.38 – Water Cost for Denim Jean Washing

Table 4.40 – Denim Jean Dry Processing and Washing Costs in $ per Garment

Labor Water TOTAL

China 0.0720 0.0273 0.0993

Colombia 0.0947 0.0310 0.1257

Guatemala 0.1100 0.0189 0.1289

India 0.0340 0.0242 0.0582

United States 0.9400 0.0257 0.9657

Vietnam 0.0253 0.0347 0.0601

101

Figure 4.33 – Denim Jean Dry Processing and Washing Cost

The process yield for denim bottoms construction and subsequent processing

is lower than for t-shirt production, with a three percent off-quality factor being

applied to conversion process, including costs related to fabric, trims, labor, energy,

and garment processing. Equation 4.39 accounts for process yield costs, while the

example following it calculates process yield costs for sourcing from China. Table

4.41 shows the costs for all countries.

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

Denim Jean Dry Processing and Washing Cost in $/gmt

Water

Labor

102

Equation 4.39 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per Denim Jean

Table 4.41 – Apparel Conversion Process Yield Cost per Denim Jean

$/gmt

China 0.1747

Colombia 0.1752

Guatemala 0.1799

India 0.1544


Vietnam 0.1663

The costs of capital for denim jeans can be calculated by using Equation 4.40.

The 3% capital rate is applied to fabric, trims, direct labor, indirect labor, energy,

garment finishing, and process yield costs in apparel operations. The example

following Equation 4.40 calculates capital costs for sourcing from China. Exit-factory

values can be calculated using Equation 4.32, which is followed by an example

calculation for sourcing from China.

103

Equation 4.40 – Capital Cost per Denim Jean

Equation 4.41 – Exit-Factory Cost per Denim Jean

Export tax rebates and FOB values can be calculated in a similar manner to t-

shirts. The table below summarizes exit-factory, rebate, and FOB values for all

countries.

104

Table 4.42 – Exit-Factory, Export Tax Rebate, and FOB Values per Denim Jean

Exit-

Factory Rebate

FOB Value

$/gmt $/gmt $/gmt

China 6.1780 0.0000 6.1780

China (w/ rebate) 6.1780 0.9267 5.2513

Colombia 6.1950 0.0000 6.1950

Guatemala 6.3619 0.0000 6.3619

India 5.4607 0.0000 5.4607

United States 14.0695 0.0000 14.0695

Vietnam 5.8818 0.0000 5.8818

The transportation costs for a denim jean can be calculated in a manner

similar to a t-shirt, with the exception that 17,500 garments can be stuffed in a

forty-foot container. Duty costs paid for entry to the United States can be calculated

in the same manner as t-shirts, with the exception that denim bottoms are subject

to a 16.6% duty rate, compared to 16.5% for t-shirts. The transportation and

landed costs are summarized by Table 4.43 and Table 4.44, respectively.

Table 4.43 – Maritime Transit Times in days and Transportation Costs per Denim Jean

Country Transit (days)

$/40ft container

$/gmt

China 13 2780 0.2826

China (w/ rebate) 13 2780 0.2648

Colombia 4 2644 0.2749

Guatemala 3 2771 0.2856

India 18 2979 0.2805

United States 0 0 0.0000

Vietnam 19 3100 0.2957

105

Table 4.44 – Landed Cost for Denim Jeans

$/gmt

China 7.4862


Colombia 7.4983

Guatemala 6.6475

India 6.6477


Vietnam 7.1540

4.8 Yarn-Forward vs. Fabric-Forward

Some countries within this study could benefit from using imported fabric raw

material inputs. Equation 4.42 accounts for the transportation costs related to using

foreign fabric inputs. Assuming that 17,000 kilograms of denim fabric can be

shipped in a forty-foot container (Panjiva, 2009), the landed cost of denim jeans are

summarized in Table 4.45.

Equation 4.42 – Fabric Shipping Costs

106

Table 4.45 – Yarn-forward and Fabric-forward Garment Costs

Fabric Source Garment Operations $/gmt

United States Guatemala 6.6987

Guatemala Guatemala 6.6475

United States Colombia 7.6410

Colombia Colombia 7.4983

China Vietnam 7.1173

Vietnam Vietnam 7.1540

China China 6.3878

India India 6.6477

United States United States 14.0695

4.9 Landed Cost for Jeans Using Ring Spun Yarn

The cost structure changes when ring spun yarn is used instead of open-end yarn.

It is important to note how cost advantages are gained or lost through the use of

different raw materials. The landed costs for each country can be obtained by using

the yarn costs listed in Table 4.7, and these are listed below.

Table 4.46 – Jeans Landed Cost Using Ring Spun Yarn

Fabric Source Garment Operations $/gmt

United States Guatemala 8.1068

Guatemala Guatemala 8.0819

United States Colombia 9.2784

Colombia Colombia 9.1663

China Vietnam 8.2160

Vietnam Vietnam 8.2732

China China 7.3217

India India 7.7350

United States United States 14.4509

107

4.10 Discussion of Supply Chain Costs

The sections above document the costs associated with sourcing a t-shirt and denim

jeans through an entire textile and apparel supply chain for multiple countries. The

landed costs are the summation of many costs accrued through the many

processing steps. By looking at the different inputs and processes it is possible to

see how they make countries and regions lose or gain competitiveness. The

following sections describe the major differences in cost structures.

Some resources are used throughout numerous textile and apparel processes,

including labor, energy, water, and steam. To little surprise, it can be seen that

labor rates are much higher in the lone developed nation of the study (United

States), compared to the developing and under-developed nations of China,

Colombia, Guatemala, India, and Vietnam. In this second group of nations, it is

evident that India and Vietnam have more competitive wages.

Energy rates are high in Guatemala, and there seems to be little price relief in

that country and other Central American countries, given their dependence on

thermal energy created by bunker fuels which are dependent on oil prices. Vietnam

offers the lowest energy rates, but could be forced to increase rates to attract

investment for much needed power projects to meet increasing energy demand.

The United States offers competitive energy rates as well.

108

Steam costs vary slightly from one country to the next. Water rates vary

from one facility to the next even within the same country. Water prices are

different based on whether water is drawn from private wells or supplied by local

municipal agencies. Treatment of water prior to process use also influences water

costs.

Given the information on resource costs above it is natural to expect textile

operations and their costs to vary from one country to another. Ring spun and

open-end yarns have significantly different cost structures. The most significant

cost driver is the price of cotton. The United States has a significant advantage over

China in the prices of cotton, while India has slightly higher cotton prices than the

US. Ring spinning manufacturing costs are higher than those for manufacturing

open-end yarn. The cost of labor required for ring spinning makes US yarn prices

less competitive, but cotton prices make it more competitive. India has access to

relatively competitive cotton prices and low operational costs. Of the three

countries, the US has the most competitive open-end yarn prices.

Knitting operations have a relatively small impact on price, given that at least

94% of knit fabric cost is accounted by yarn costs. Yarn costs account for lower

percentages of total costs for weaving operations, but they are still the main driver.

Dyes and auxiliary chemicals are the most significant cost in both dyeing for knit

piece goods and indigo rope dyeing.

109

Maritime transportation costs are similar for all countries in the study, except

for the United States which does not have this cost within their supply chain. Trade

costs and policies do impact landed costs in a very important manner. Export tax

rebates issued by the Chinese government in the order of 15% of exit-factory prices

tilt costs to their favor. Countries that have free trade agreements, such as

Guatemala benefit greatly from preferential tariff rates which make their products

more cost competitive. The approval of the pending US-Colombia Free Trade

Agreement could make Colombia a significant supplier of apparel to the US, given

their competitive labor wages and geographic proximity.

Landed cost rankings for all countries follow similar patterns for t-shirts and

denim jeans. Landed costs have been calculated for China with and without export

tax rebates. With export tax rebates China provides the most competitive landed

cost for t-shirts. India, Vietnam, Guatemala, China without export tax rebates,

Colombia, and the United States follow.

Similar ranking holds true for denim jeans of open-end yarn, except that

Guatemala ranks more favorably than both India and Vietnam. This can be

attributed to highly cost competitive open-end yarn input costs from the US being

paired with Guatemalan apparel conversion labor and duty free access advantages.

Denim jeans of ring spun yarn follows similar patterns with China being the most

cost-competitive supplier, followed by India, Guatemala, Vietnam, Colombia, and the

110

United States. It is important to note Guatemala, Colombia, and Vietnam have very

similar final landed costs when using imported fabric-forward inputs compared to

yarn-forward inputs as detailed in Table 4.45 and Table 4.46.

4.11 Retail Operations and Simulations

Retailers incur significant profitability erosion when they are forced to move aging

inventory at discounted prices. This surplus inventory can occur when their sales

forecasts are overly optimistic compared to real sell-through. The other side of the

situation is when forecasts are pessimistic; resulting in stockouts and poor customer

service levels. The latter cost is more complex to measure in purely financial terms.

The costs associated with having too much or too little stock are obtained by

running simulations. The tool used in this study for simulations is the Sourcing

Simulator™. By entering the landed cost of goods from the sourcing cost model and

each country’s respective transit time plus a four week manufacturing lead time,

performance metrics can be obtained through the final link in the supply chain.

4.11.1 Retail Performance Simulations for T-Shirts

Simulations were set in order to evaluate the performance of different supplying

countries. Information related to the Buyer’s Plan, Cost Data, Markdowns and

111

Promotions, Sourcing Strategy, Vendor Specification, and Consumer Demand make

up the retail scenario. The following paragraphs illustrate the retail scenario tested.

The Buyer’s Plan was set to have a 20-week selling cycle with an average of

9800 units planned to be sold per week. The anticipated weekly demand was set to

mid peak. The product offering was set to a single style in six colors and five sizes

for a total of 30 stock keeping units. The initial and replenishment cost were set

equal to the landed cost of each country, with a ten percent inventory carrying cost

and a $20,000 program overhead cost. The retail selling price was set to ten dollars

per unit.

The selling season included two planned promotions and one planned

markdown of 25% and 75% price reductions, respectively. Each event had a

duration of one week. The first promotion was set to take place on week five, the

second promotion on week fifteen, and the final markdown for the last week of the

selling season.

The manufacturer was assumed to be a perfect supplier, and therefore there

is no variation in delivery times or quantities shipped by the supplier compared to

what is ordered. Unlike supplier performance, a forecast error of 25 percent was

assumed as well as SKU mix error with a 30 percent error in color mix, 30 percent

error in size mix, and no style error since a single style was modeled.

112

The optimal performance for each supplier was found by maximizing adjusted

gross margin and service levels. With an initial inventory of fifty percent of the plan

delivered before the start of the selling season, it was found that reordering twice

within the selling season from both supplying countries performed better than

traditional sourcing and reordering once. The performance metrics for the most

responsive and cost-competitive supplier from the Western Hemisphere and Asia are

summarized in Table 4.47 and Table 4.48 below.

Table 4.47 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for T-Shirts of Open-End Yarn

Guatemala China (with ETR)

Manufacturing Lead Time 28 days 28 days

Transit Time 8 days 18 days

Unit Costs $1.31 $1.21

Service Level 96.30% 93.10%

Adjusted Gross Margin $1,956,722 $1,920,146

Table 4.48 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for T-Shirts of Ring Spun Yarn

Guatemala China (with ETR)

Manufacturing Lead Time 28 days 28 days

Transit Time 8 days 18 days

Unit Costs $1.48 $1.32

Service Level 96.30% 93.10%

Adjusted Gross Margin $1,910,930 $1,890,676

113

4.11.2 Retail Performance Simulations for Denim Jeans

Similar simulations were run to determine retail performance for denim jeans. The

Buyer’s Plan was set to have a 20-week selling cycle with 9800 units planned to sale

per week. The anticipated weekly demand was set to mid peak. The product

offering was set to a single style in two colors and thirty sizes for a total of 60 stock

keeping units. The initial and replenishment cost were set equal to the landed cost

of each country, with a ten percent inventory carrying cost and a $100,000 program

overhead cost. The retail selling price was set to twenty five dollars per unit.

The selling season included two planned promotions and one planned

markdown of 25% and 75% price reductions, respectively. Each event had a

duration of one week. The first promotion was set to take place on week five, the

second promotion on week fifteen, and the final markdown for the last week of the

selling season.

The manufacturer was assumed to be a perfect supplier, and therefore there

is no variation in delivery times or quantities shipped by the supplier compared to

what is ordered. Unlike supplier performance, a forecast error of 25 percent was

assumed as well as SKU mix error with a 30 percent error in color mix and 30

percent error in size mix.

The optimal performance for each supplier was found by maximizing adjusted

gross margin and service levels. With an initial inventory of fifty percent of the plan

114

delivered before the start of the selling season, it was found that reordering twice

within the selling season performed better than traditional sourcing and reordering

once. The performance metrics for the most responsive and cost-competitive

supplier from the Western Hemisphere and Asia are summarized in Table 4.49 and

Table 4.50.

Table 4.49 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for Denim Jeans of Open-End Yarn

Guatemala Guatemala using US

Fabric China (with ETR)

Manufacturing Lead Time 28 days 28 days 28 days

Transit Time 8 days 8 days 18 days

Unit Costs $6.65 $6.70 $6.39

Service Level 95.80% 95.80% 93.10%

Adjusted Gross Margin $3,949,053 $3,935,658 $3,865,111

Table 4.50 – Optimal Retail Performance Metrics for Denim Jeans of Ring Spun Yarn

Guatemala Guatemala using US

Fabric China (with ETR)

Manufacturing Lead Time 28 days 28 days 28 days

Transit Time 8 days 8 days 18 days

Unit Costs $8.08 $8.11 $7.32

Service Level 95.80% 95.80% 93.10%

Adjusted Gross Margin $3,565,969 $3,557,932 $3,613,764

115

5 Conclusions

The analysis of the textile, apparel, and retail supply chains showed there are

numerous cost factors that need to be accounted for in order to understand cost

structures. Each process has its own set of factors to which its total costs are highly

sensitive to. There are certain issues that can change the landscape of textile and

apparel activity.

Access to raw materials, especially yarns and therefore cotton, can largely

impact a supply chain’s ability to supply cost competitive products. As stated

previously, cotton drives the largest part of yarn cost. For this reason, knitters and

weavers can benefit greatly by having access to yarn that uses US or Indian cotton,

as market prices for both are much lower than those in China.

Free trade agreements and their provisions for duty free access to the United

States market can have a great impact on landed costs. Without preferential duty

rates Colombia is the least cost effective foreign supplier of t-shirts and jeans. If the

pending free trade agreement with Colombia granted the duty-free access to the US

markets, this would make them much more competitive. Colombia could supply t-

shirts at costs more competitive than Guatemala, and come to a close second for

some types of denim jeans after China.

A more complicated trade issue is the export tax rebates given to the textile

and apparel industry by the Chinese government. In the case that China is found to

116

be at fault for this practice in the World Trade Organization it could be forced to

eliminate such rebates or face commercial retaliation. The elimination of the 15%

rebate would significantly reduce the competitiveness of Chinese textiles and

apparel products. Under those circumstances China would be less competitive than

India, Vietnam, and Guatemala in both product categories.

The apparel industry is highly dependent on labor wages and its stability.

Labor rates have risen considerably on both sides of the Pacific in recent years,

including China and Central American nations. Increases in labor costs can reduce a

country’s ability to compete as a supplier of apparel products. Along with access to

raw materials, the apparel industry is highly dependent on labor wages.

Sourcing decisions require exhaustive landed cost analysis, as well as supplier

responsiveness. This study has shown that labor wages are very important to

apparel operations, but much more than this factor needs to be considered in

sourcing decisions. Access to raw materials, trade agreement provisions,

government subsidy policies, and stability of resource costs must be considered.

The cost model developed in this study provides insight into entire supply

chain cost structures. This tool can assist companies to look both forward and

backwards outside their area of operation and have a broader appreciation of the

markets they participate in. By using this model, companies can identify

opportunities and threats to their business models. They can identify broad issues

117

related to their strategic partnerships with suppliers and customers and investigate

these in more detail. By pairing supply chain costs and their transportation time and

manufacturing responsiveness, analyses can be performed to identify scenarios

where responsiveness is more critical than cost effectiveness. This analysis for retail

performance can be performed using the Sourcing Simulator™ software system and

can help identify additional business growth opportunities.

Employing the cost model developed in this study along with the Sourcing

Simulator™ has shown that speed and responsiveness can outweigh landed cost

price of goods in the scenarios tested. Retailers sourcing from supply chains that

use U.S. yarn-forward or fabric-forward inputs and Latin American apparel

operations can see higher service levels and adjusted gross margins compared to

when sourcing from more cost-effective but less responsive suppliers from Asia.

118

6 Future Works

There are numerous opportunities for future research based on this research. This

study analyzed the supply chain costs of two major apparel products. This approach

can be extended to much more products. Many more yarn counts, fabric structures,

and garment styles can be modeled. There are numerous amounts of products that

can be analyzed additionally. Each one of the processing steps and their cost

structures can be dissected and analyzed further to enable the costing of a wider

amount of products. More countries can also be included in future analysis.

Additional simulations can be run to measure manufacturing response times

and transportation times. Further analysis of the effects of end-consumer and retail

store interaction can be studied. Forecast error, drift, SKU mix, and other retail

performance characteristics can provide insight to optimize sourcing decisions.

This study finds that it is feasible for the Western Hemisphere textile and

apparel complex to successfully compete with speed and responsiveness. Although

this concept is powerful, it is necessary to take into account the region’s limitation in

access to raw materials. It would be beneficial to identify the shortcomings of fabric

availability in the region.

119

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